url,title,date,year,month,party,chamber,state,member_name,bioguide_id,domain,scraper,source,date_source,text,has_text,collected_at,updated_at
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-recognizes-district-officials-concern-with-potential-loss-of,"Norton Recognizes District Officials Concern with Potential Loss of Federal Funding for DCPS and Charter Schools, But Will Work to Improve Flawed D.C. Voucher Bill",2016-03-09,2016,2016-03,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.—The office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released the following statement regarding a letter from District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser and eight D.C. Councilmembers to House and Senate leaders supporting the special federal education funding for D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) and public charter schools included in the Scholarships for Opportunities and Results (SOAR) Act, which also includes a private school voucher program in D.C.
“When the private school voucher program was first imposed on the District of Columbia against its will more than a decade ago, I opposed its passage, but I was able to get additional federal funding included as well for DCPS and D.C. public charter schools.  I argued that not only was DCPS significantly improving, but that the city had chosen its own alternative to its traditional public schools, its public charter school system, one of the largest in the country.
“What is still clear is that the carefully-crafted letter sent to House and Senate leaders did not endorse the congressionally-imposed private school voucher program.  Instead, District officials said their ‘support for the SOAR Act is rooted in the importance we place on the much-needed federal funding for [DCPS] and public charter schools.’  The letter goes into significant detail about the basis for their support, citing the federal funds in the SOAR Act for DCPS, including ‘to support initiatives that reward and increase retention of high performing teachers and principals’ and ‘attract more high quality teachers and principals.’  The letter takes special note of the fact that ‘DCPS enrollment is rising for the first time in decades’ by ‘attracting families back into the system.’
“In the same way, the District’s letter lays out the case for public charter school funding, which almost half of all D.C. public school students attend, noting that the District has 62 public charter schools on 115 campuses.  The letter says that federal funds in the SOAR act have ‘supported the acquisition, renovation, modernization, and expansion of charter school facilities in the District’ and have been used to ‘improve academic achievement, teacher and leader quality and recruitment.’  Notably, this week, the National Alliance for Public Charter School rated D.C. as the healthiest public charter school system in the nation.
“The District’s letter neither supports nor mentions any benefits of the private school voucher program.  This is undoubtedly because the U.S. Department of Education’s independent evaluation of the voucher program showed that it failed to improve academic achievement among voucher students, as measured by math and reading scores, which was the ostensible purpose for the creation of the voucher program.  Also lacking is any data on the number of students who left voucher schools and returned to public schools, which is believed to be considerable.
“The District makes clear that it was also motivated to write its letter because it fears the Educational Freedom Accounts Act, introduced by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Representative Mark Meadows (R-NC), which would force D.C. to direct ‘local funds from DCPS and the public charter schools toward Education Savings Accounts for D.C. students who want to attend private schools.’  That bill is far worse for the District than the SOAR Act alternative, clearly because federal funds for DCPS and public charter schools are not provided.
“I should note that it is particularly ironic that Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) in his press release on the letter would cite this recent support from District officials when arguing for the voucher program’s reauthorization, when the Republican-controlled House and Senate rejected all amendments to establish national private school vouchers during last year’s reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.  Of course, it is convenient for Speaker Ryan to cite the District’s support for the SOAR Act because of the funds the bill contains for DCPS and public charter schools, while at the same the Republican Congress has disregarded D.C.’s strong opposition to the many Republican riders and bills that appear each year that establish, overturn or block D.C.’s laws and its budget.
“The District’s concern at the loss of potentially $40 million annually for DCPS and public charter schools in the SOAR Act is understandable because these funds have been baked into its educational budget now for a number of years.  Recognizing this budgetary concern, and the certainty that the Republican House and Senate would seriously try to reauthorize the SOAR Act, or allow it to be funded without reauthorization, I tried in the House, and I will continue to try, to improve the voucher program by restoring the integrity of the program’s mandated evaluation, making it harder for voucher mills to compete with quality accredited schools, such as D.C.’s Catholic schools, for vouchers, and to ensure that the schools abide by federal civil rights laws.”
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-to-give-opening-remarks-at-national-league-of-cities,"Norton to Give Opening Remarks at National League of Cities Congressional Briefing, Today",2016-03-09,2016,2016-03,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), ranking member of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee, will offer opening remarks at the National League of Cities’ Congressional City Conference Capitol Hill Briefing today, Wednesday, March 9, 2016, at 10:00 a.m., in the Congressional Visitor Center Auditorium.  Norton will discuss the state of transportation and infrastructure in the nation’s cities and her role as one of the bipartisan “Big Four” House Transportation leaders, who wrote the recently-passed five-year surface transportation bill, the FAST Act.
“Mayors and local leaders across the country were among the most informed voices calling on Congress to pass a long-term surface transportation bill, and we finally got it done last year, the first long-term transportation bill in a decade,” Norton said.  “Transportation is the backbone of our local economies.  We need to act like it by investing substantially more to save our nation’s infrastructure, which was instrumental in making the United States a world leader.”
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-wants-to-meet-with-architect-of-the-capitol-on-local-dc-issues,Norton Wants to Meet with Architect of the Capitol on Local D.C. Issues,2016-03-09,2016,2016-03,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released a letter she wrote to Architect of the Capitol Stephen Ayers requesting a meeting to discuss three issues of importance impacting District of Columbia residents, those who work near the Capitol and visitors: construction of a bus shelter near Union Station, disposal of the former House Page Residence, and turf restoration on Union Square.
“D.C. is a unique jurisdiction that must work closely with the federal agencies that control much of the land in our city,” Norton said.  “I look forward to working with the Architect of the Capitol on these measures that will benefit our residents and those who frequent our streets and neighborhoods around the Capitol.”
Norton’s full letter is below.
The Honorable Stephen T. Ayers  
	Architect of the Capitol  
	SB-15, U.S. Capitol  
	Washington, DC 20515
 
Dear Mr. Ayers:
Thank you for your continuing work on and attention to the impact that the Capitol complex has on the surrounding community.  I am writing to request a meeting with you to discuss a number of issues related to the Capitol complex that affect District of Columbia residents, those who work near the Capitol, and visitors.  Among these concerns are construction of a bus shelter near Union Station, disposal of the former House Page Residence, and turf restoration on the National Mall.
Due to the reconfiguration of access to Union Station, Metrobus and the D.C. Circulator no longer pull into Union Station, and instead follow Massachusetts Avenue through Columbus Circle.  Six heavily used bus routes, including the 96, 97, D6, D8, X8 and Circulator Georgetown-Union Station line, pick up passengers at this location.  Now, waiting under the portico of Union Station is not permitted, nor is this area close enough to the bus stop for riders to catch their bus.  The District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT) constructs and maintains bus shelters for both Metrobus and the Circulator in the District, and they are supportive of building a shelter at First Street NE and Massachusetts Avenue NE.  However, until now, the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) has denied DDOT permission to build a bus shelter at this location.  Passengers are in need of a bus shelter to protect them from rain and snow and other inclement weather and to provide temporary seating to people with disabilities and senior citizens at the south corner of First Street NE and Massachusetts Avenue NE, which is on Capitol grounds. 
Another issue is the now-vacant former House Page Residence Hall.  In 2011, the House of Representatives ended the House Page Program citing ongoing costs to maintain the program and technological advances that had made some of the page functions obsolete.  With the end of the House Page Program, the Page Residence Hall at 501 First Street SE was closed as well. This dorm, located on prime D.C. land, has been vacant for almost five years, and the AOC is responsible for maintaining this vacant building at a cost to taxpayers.  Disposing of the vacant property can save taxpayer dollars and help the site become an active part of the Capitol Hill community.  It also has been brought to my attention that there is continued construction outside this site that has closed one lane of E Street SE between New Jersey Street SE and First Street SE.  It is time to either find a new use for the former House Page Residence Hall or dispose of the property. 
The National Park Service (NPS) is currently pursuing a turf restoration project on the National Mall that was intended to extend to Union Square, until jurisdiction for Union Square was changed to your office.  NPS’s turf restoration includes excavation and removal of 4-5' of damaged soil, installation of irrigation drainage and cistern to collect and allow reuse of storm water, and installation of a compaction-resistant engineered soil.  However, the turf restoration project will only run from 14th Street to Third Street.  I am concerned that the area between First Street and Third Street will not see much-needed restoration.  I would like to discuss ways to achieve the needed restoration at Union Square consistent with AOC and Capitol Police jurisdiction.
My scheduler will follow up with your office to schedule the meeting.
Sincerely,
Eleanor Holmes Norton
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-in-your-neighborhood-tomorrow-night-with-noma-bid,Norton in Your Neighborhood Tomorrow Night with NoMa BID,2016-03-08,2016,2016-03,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will host a “Norton in Your Neighborhood” community conversation with the NoMa Business Improvement District (BID) tomorrow, Wednesday, March 9, 2016, at 6:30 p.m., at 1200 First St. NE, Suite 310.  Norton will discuss the future of NoMa, one of the first areas propelled to economic development because of Norton’s work; her other economic development projects in the District of Columbia; several victories for D.C. she got included in last year’s surface transportation bill; success in getting pre-tax commuter transit benefits equal to parking benefits; federal safety oversight over the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority; new pilot funding projects for the Highway Trust Fund, which funds roads, bridges, and transit; a 25% increase for the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant Program (DCTAG); and other congressional issues of interest.
“I am proud of the work of NoMa BID, which has helped make NoMa one of the most desirable communities in the District,” Norton said.  “NoMa is premium land close to the Capitol that was a virtual wasteland a few years ago because developers waited to see if the federal government would move there.  In committee, I went after the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) for catering to agency preferences for the center of town at greater cost to taxpayers.  After we got language that made it impossible for GSA to avoid moving to NoMa and a new Metro station, major federal agencies like the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives began to move there.  Today, NoMa is a new hot spot of mixed-use development of apartments, condos, restaurants, and shops.  I look forward to hearing from the NoMa business community and residents and learning if there is anything more we should be doing in Congress.”
“We are thrilled to host a ’Norton in Your Neighborhood’ with Congresswoman Norton in NoMa,” NoMa BID President Robin-Eve Jasper said.  “Congresswoman Norton is the visionary who saw the incredible potential of NoMa and has been a hugely successful advocate for not just NoMa, but the entire District.  This is a great opportunity for residents to participate in a conversation with a terrific legislator about important issues.”
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-in-your-neighborhood-tonight-in-ward-7,Norton in Your Neighborhood Tonight in Ward 7,2016-03-08,2016,2016-03,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will host a “Norton in Your Neighborhood” community conversation with Ward 7 residents tonight, Tuesday, March 8, 2016, at 7:00 p.m., at DC Scholars Public Charter School (5601 E Capitol St. SE).  Norton will engage Ward 7 residents in a discussion of the major funding and legislative victories for the District of Columbia that she won last year; D.C. priorities passed in the new surface transportation bill; a 25% increase in total funds for the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant Program (DCTAG), which has doubled college attendance in D.C.; achievement of the highest ever number of original House and Senate cosponsors for her D.C. statehood bill; and other congressional issues of interest to the community.
“I am looking forward to meeting with my Ward 7 constituents to offer an update on what is happening the Congress and to receive an update on what the Ward 7 community needs,” Norton said.”
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-says-troubling-report-increases-urgency-for-regional-strategy-to,Norton Says Troubling Report Increases Urgency for Regional Strategy to Secure Funding for a New Arlington Memorial Bridge,2016-03-03,2016,2016-03,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today said that the national capital region’s members, including not only House Members, but especially its four Senators, must devise a joint strategy to secure funding to fully replace the Arlington Memorial Bridge after a recent Federal Highway Administration inspection found that the bridge will need a major overhaul or be forced to close in 2021.  Norton said that last year’s surface five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill provides the National Park Service (NPS), which owns and operates Memorial Bridge, with $268 million for 2016 for all of NPS’ transportation needs across the nation, but that amount would barely cover the estimated $250 million it will cost to rebuild the Memorial Bridge.  The new transportation bill initially contained no increase in funding from 10 years ago, but Norton and other Members got a small increase by reducing the length of the reauthorization from six years to five years.  Norton said that regional members of the House and Senate will need to work together to help NPS secure funding from the $800 million available annually through the new Nationally Significant Fright and Highway Projects competition grant program, which Norton got included in the surface transportation bill.  She said NPS could use that grant funding to cover up to 80% of the estimated $250 million it will cost to repair Memorial Bridge.  Norton said in light of the need for a new bridge, it would be a waste to fund another emergency interim strategy or to incrementally rebuild the bridge over multiple phases.
“At this point, nothing short of a coordinated regional strategy to rebuild Memorial Bridge is feasible,” Norton said.  “If we do not act now, we are seeing the beginning of the end for Memorial Bridge, which is dissolving in plain sight into the Potomac River.  This bridge, more than any other, is not just a regional bridge.  It is the gateway to our nation’s capital from Virginia and the South, and was once a symbol of our nation’s strength.  The region needs to work with NPS to ensure it applies for the competitive grant funding for which Memorial Bridge appears to qualify.”
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-travels-to-flint-with-leader-pelosi-as-part-of-congressional,Norton Travels to Flint with Leader Pelosi as Part of Congressional Delegation to Look for Similarities to D.C. Water Crisis,2016-03-03,2016,2016-03,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"Introduces Bill to Prohibit Use of Lead in Aircraft Fuel 
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today will travel to Flint, Michigan as part of a congressional delegation with Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn (D-SC) and leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC).  Norton is particularly interested and concerned about the Flint water crisis because of the District of Columbia’s own lead-in-water crisis in the early 2000s.
The congressional delegation will tour Flint tomorrow, Friday, March 4, 2016.  The delegation will hold a “Speak Out” to hear directly from families affected by the water crisis.  The members will also receive a briefing from Dr. Nicole Lurie, the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about the ongoing federal response in Flint.  The city tour, “Speak Out” with Flint families, and federal response briefing are closed to the press.  Following the “Speak Out” event, Norton and other Members will hold a press conference at Grace Emmanuel Baptist Church in Flint.
“In light of D.C.’s water crisis with lead, I am going to Flint not only in solidarity with affected families, but also to learn more and to share what I can about our own recovery,” Norton said.
Last week at a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing last week, Norton questioned Lieutenant General Thomas Bostick, Chief of Engineers for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, about the lead levels in D.C.’s water supply.  Bostick assured Norton that the Army Corps tests for lead levels in water leaving D.C.’s two main aqueducts once per month, and adds orthophosphate, an approved anti-corrosive substance, to water flowing to D.C. to prevent lead leaching.
In order to further address lead concerns across the nation, Norton yesterday introduced a bill to prohibit the use of lead in aircraft fuel by 2021.  Since 1980, the amount of lead in the air has decreased 89 percent, but while lead gas for automobiles has been banned since 1995, the piston-engine aircraft industry and airports that supply their fuel continue to use leaded aircraft fuel.  Norton said that without a federal ban, those operators will continue to use leaded aircraft fuel, endangering the health of young children.
“We have seen the devastating impact that lead poisoning can have on children, including behavioral and learning problems, lower IQ, hyperactivity, slowed growth, hearing problems, and anemia,” Norton said.  “Banning leaded airplane fuel is a common-sense measure, and phasing it in by 2021 gives the industry plenty of time to implement an alternative.”
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-amendment-banning-electronic-cigarettes-on-airplanes-spurs-dot,Norton Amendment Banning Electronic Cigarettes on Airplanes Spurs DOT Final Rule Explicitly Banning Electronic Cigarettes on Commercial Flights,2016-03-02,2016,2016-03,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said that the momentum generated by strong bipartisan passage of her amendment prohibiting the use of electronic cigarettes and vaping devices for smoking on airplanes has pushed the Department of Transportation (DOT) to follow suit and issue a final rule that explicitly bans the use of electronic cigarettes on commercial flights.  Norton’s amendment was passed last month as part of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).  At the markup, Norton complained that DOT had first issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in 2011 to ban the use of these devices on commercial airplanes, but had failed to make additional progress.  The rule appeared to be stuck until passage of Norton’s amendment generated attention and bipartisan support for the ban.  Norton was particularly pleased that the DOT rule was finalized because final passage of the FAA reauthorization bill containing Norton’s amendment is not assured.
“Just last week, we saw frightening footage of an electronic cigarette battery exploding in a man's pocket, causing second degree burns,” Norton said.  “If such a fire occurred on an airplane, it could be catastrophic, which is why DOT had previously issued a rule prohibited electronic cigarettes in checked baggage.  In any case, smoking was banned on airplanes more than 25 years ago.  I believe this case should have been closed long ago.”
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-gets-two-priorities-passed-in-gsa-reform-bill,Norton Gets Two Priorities Passed in GSA Reform Bill,2016-03-02,2016,2016-03,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said two of her top priorities were included in the Public Buildings Reform and Savings Act of 2016, which Norton cosponsored and was passed today by the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.  The committee unanimously passed Norton’s amendment to require buildings owned or leased by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to provide private, hygienic lactation spaces for visitors and guests to pump or breastfeed.  Federal law requires dedicated lactation spaces be made available for employees at federally owned or leased buildings, but Norton said that nursing mothers who visit federal buildings should also be entitled to use private spaces to pump breast milk for their babies, too.  Norton’s amendment does not require that a new or exclusive space be permanently set aside only for lactation, but space must be available as needed.  The Congressional Budget Office found no cost associated with the Norton amendment.  GSA serves as the landlord for federal civilian government agencies.
The bill also includes Norton’s provision directing GSA to sell or exchange the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Forrestal Complex, at 1000 Independence Avenue SW, and to use the funds to construct a new, smaller, and more efficient DOE headquarters that Norton says will free up a new large space for mixed-used development.  The Norton provision clearing the way for development of the Southwest Mall area complements the ongoing development of the Southwest Waterfront, known as The Wharf, achieved through another Norton bill.  Her new provision is expected to spur new economic development in the Southwest section of the National Mall area, transforming it into a modern and sustainable urban neighborhood of mixed-use development, in addition to saving taxpayer dollars.
“Today was a good day for our provisions on very different subjects,” Norton said.  “I appreciate the support for my common-sense amendment, which I dubbed the ‘Motherhood Amendment,’ to provide nursing mothers visiting federal buildings in the District of Columbia and across the country with appropriate lactation spaces.  Providing lactation spaces for all employees is already federal policy because breastfeeding has been proven to have tremendous health benefits for both infants and mothers.
“My provision directing GSA to develop a smaller DOE headquarters in Southwest D.C. is mundane, but very valuable.  It will free up new opportunities for mixed-use development that will benefit the District.”
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-says-her-work-to-get-construction-of-new-bike-lane-through,Norton Says Her Work to Get Construction of New Bike Lane Through Lafayette Park Will Help Keep Bikers Off Road and Congested Sidewalks,2016-03-02,2016,2016-03,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today expressed her appreciation to the District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT) as it began construction of a bike lane through Lafayette Park that Norton pressed the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) and National Park Service (NPS) to allow to proceed.  After the D.C. biking community complained of repeated closures of the Pennsylvania Avenue Plaza and Lafayette Park due to security reasons, which had forced bicycles onto heavily used, congested sidewalks, Norton held a meeting with NPS and USSS last July.  At that meeting, NPS and USSS agreed to have DDOT build the designated bike lane to protect riders and pedestrians.
“I appreciate the response of NPS and the U.S. Secret Service and the actual execution by DDOT of the long-awaited bike lane along Lafayette Park, connecting bikers from Vermont Avenue NW to 15th Street NW,” Norton said.  “D.C. is a city of bikers, which helps relieve congestion on the road.  The least our bikers are entitled to are bike lanes that do not put them at risk.”
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-in-your-neighborhood-tonight-with-palisades-citizens-association,Norton in Your Neighborhood Tonight with Palisades Citizens Association to Focus on Her Provisions to Combat Airplane Noise and Other D.C. Priorities in Congress,2016-03-01,2016,2016-03,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will host a “Norton in Your Neighborhood” community conversation with the Palisades Citizens’ Association tonight, Tuesday, March 1, 2016, from 8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., at the Palisades Recreation Center (5200 Sherier PL NW).  Among other congressional issues, Norton will engage Palisades-area and other District of Columbia residents in a discussion focusing on the significant provisions she got included in the recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill to address outrageous airplane noise that has been plaguing communities in the District and nationwide as a result of new Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) flight paths.  Last year, Norton held a standing-room only community airplane noise town hall with residents and officials from the FAA and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA).  Following that meeting, Norton got MWAA to convene an airplane noise working group that includes D.C. and Virginia residents and airline officials to make recommendations to the FAA on flight paths.
In addition, Norton defeated an attempt during the FAA reauthorization markup to add additional large planes and airplane noise at Reagan National Airport (DCA) to accommodate more flights outside the current 1,250 mile DCA perimeter.
“We are not going to stop until our neighbors in the Palisades and surrounding neighborhoods are free from unbearable airplane noise,” Norton said.  “I want to hear from the community for ideas as we build on the progress we have made in bills pending in the Congress.  I will also be discussing other important business in the Congress that I believe will interest Palisades residents.”
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/blog-posts/not-the-court-but-core-democratic-issues-hang-in-the-balance-with-supreme,Not the CourtBut Core Democratic IssuesHang in the Balance with Supreme Court Vacancy,2016-02-25,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"By Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton
The refusal of Senate Republicans to even hold a hearing on President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee to replace Justice Antonin Scalia naturally generates controversy, even anger, among Democrats.  Even if Republicans come to their senses and at least hold a hearing, however, there is little reason to believe that a nominee of this president could get confirmed in the Senate, where Republicans outnumber Democrats 54-46.  Yet, Democrats could get trapped by focusing on the current confirmation kerfuffle instead of our core issues, which almost always end up in the Supreme Court.
For decades, Republicans have succeeded in making the Supreme Court a larger-than-life issue, particularly during presidential campaigns.  Democrats, however, have focused on policies, although these policies and a president’s entire legacy can be swept away by the Supreme Court. 
Count on Republicans to make the Supreme Court an even bigger issue following the passing of Scalia, one of the most conservative justices.  Yet, Democrats, particularly Democratic base voters, have the most to lose if the current 4-4 conservative-liberal stalemate were to become another 5-4 conservative majority under a Republican president elected in November.  For example, almost all the high-profile issues on the Court’s current docket, four already argued, involve issues in which Democrats are heavily invested (the Court may not issue opinions in all the current cases).  These cases include: whether district maps should be drawn to count the total number of citizens in an area or just the number of eligible voters; President Obama’s executive order permitting four million undocumented immigrants to remain in the U.S. and obtain work visas; affirmative action, testing yet another race-conscious admission program; a claim by religiously affiliated institutions that they are religiously complicit even if they can avoid offering contraception through their institutions by filling out an objection form; the first abortion case the Court has taken in almost ten years; whether public employees who do not join unions may be required to pay a fee only for the collective bargaining benefits they receive; and whether class action suits involving worker claims to overtime pay can be shown using statistical data instead of establishing damages individually.
Today, as in the past, Democrats have understandably targeted the issues nearest to them—from immigration, income inequality, criminal justice to the rights of minorities in our country.  Such a single-minded focus this year, however, could be fatal.  What matters most to Democrats is not the Supreme Court as an abstraction, but the disproportionate number of Democratic issues often controlled in the final analysis by the Court.  We must name the issues that most concern us so that they become a proxy for the Court.  We should stress how the Court—not the president or the Congress—makes the final decision on these issues.  We must point up our heavy losses under the Supreme Court 5-4 conservative majority, such as the Voting Rights Act, which Congress still has not renewed, and the case that struck down D.C.’s handgun ban, which made it more difficult for the states to enact laws to prevent gun violence.
It is a wonder that with five justices nominated by Republican presidents, Democrats have not lost more.  With Justice Scalia gone, whatever balance may linger is in mortal danger unless Democrats make the Court a priority by drawing on the issues that prove the case.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-pushes-opm-to-embrace-her-bill-providing-lifetime-identity,Norton Pushes OPM to Embrace Her Bill Providing Lifetime Identity Coverage to Federal Employees Impacted By Data Hack,2016-02-25,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"Norton to Work with OGR Chairman Chaffetz to Require Government Contractors to Submit to Investigations Following Data Breaches 
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today at an Oversight and Government Reform Committee (OGR) hearing pressed the importance of her bill to provide free lifetime identity theft coverage to current, former and prospective federal employees whose personal data were compromised in recent U.S. Office of Personnel Management data breaches.  Norton’s lifetime coverage bill, which Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) introduced in the Senate, would cover the more than 21.5 million current, former and prospective federal employees affected by the hacks.  Upon questioning by Norton, OPM Acting Director Beth Cobert confirmed that certain personal data of employees and their families is unchangeable and could be exploited by hackers after the expiration of the current 10-year identity theft protection coverage, which Norton got expanded from 18 months and included in the fiscal year 2016 omnibus appropriations bill.  Norton asked Cobert if any use had been made of the compromised data by hackers.  Cobert responded that OPM is in continual dialogue with law enforcement and intelligence agencies and that so far they have not seen misuse of the hacked data.  Norton asked if there was a system set up to inform employees if their data had been misused by hackers, and Cobert responded that there currently is no formal protocol.  As a result of today’s hearing, Norton has become concerned that employees whose data has been compromised may not know they are not automatically enrolled in the free credit monitoring service and must opt-in.  Norton intends to write OPM to ensure they are making extra efforts to ensure employees know they must take additional action to opt-in to credit monitoring.
Norton also raised concerns about the government’s ability to investigate data breaches of government contractors.  She cited the data breach involving Anthem Health Insurance, which provides health insurance to federal employees.  The 2015 Anthem breach compromised the health insurance information of nearly 80 million Americans, including federal employees, but Anthem declined to have the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) investigate the breach.  Norton said that as a government contractor, Anthem should not only be required to install the same levels of cybersecurity as government agencies, but that if a breach occurs, the government or an independent agency should be able to conduct an investigation.  Cobert said OPM is working on implementing such a provision into future contracts with government contractors.  OGR Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) agreed to work with Norton in a bipartisan fashion to require government contractors with access to federal employee data to submit to Inspector General or similar investigations.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-questions-us-army-corps-of-engineers-about-three-dc-water-issues,Norton Questions U.S. Army Corps of Engineers About Three D.C. Water Issues,2016-02-24,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today at a Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment hearing used her time to ask three questions of particular concern to District of Columbia residents – lead levels in D.C.’s water supply, ground water testing in the Spring Valley neighborhood, and flooding of the National Mall and D.C. neighborhoods.
Norton, who will be traveling to Flint, Michigan with Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and a congressional delegation on March 4, asked what the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which was chiefly responsible for D.C.’s lead-in-water crisis in the early 2000s, is currently doing to prevent any future lead contamination in D.C.’s water supply.  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers owns and operates the Washington Aqueduct, which supplies all of D.C.’s drinking water.  Lieutenant General Thomas Bostick, Chief of Engineers for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, answered that the Army Corps tests for lead levels in water leaving D.C.’s two main aqueducts once per month.  The Potomac River, the region’s water source, contains no lead, but some pipes in the region contain lead, and the Army Corps failed to add the correct anti-corrosive substance to D.C.’s water in the early 2000s.  Bostick assured Norton that the Army Corps now adds orthophosphate, an approved anti-corrosive substance, to water flowing to D.C. to prevent lead leaching.  Norton expressed skepticism about the Army Corps’ expertise as a water provider and asked if the D.C. region was the only municipality in the nation for which the Army Corps provides drinking water.  Bostick responded that it was.  Norton also asked if the Army Corps could do capital investment in its water infrastructure and learned that, unlike the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority, which purchases approximately 75 percent of the water produced by the Washington Aqueduct and is the region’s main water provider, the Army Corps has no borrowing or bonding authority.
In a related water issue, Norton asked Bostick for an update on the Army Corps’ ongoing testing of ground water in Spring Valley, a D.C. neighborhood located on a site formerly used by the Army to test and develop chemical weapons during World War I.  Norton was successful in keeping the Army Corps from digging a well to trace groundwater contamination in a neighborhood park.  Instead, the Army Corps agreed to build the well in a nearby road.  Bostick did not have information on the ongoing groundwater testing, but Norton asked him to provide a report within 30 days on what chemicals the Army Corps plans to test and what it expects to find.
Norton also got assurances from Assistant Secretary of the Army-Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy that a final report on the 17th Street Levee, designed to prevent flooding of the National Mall and Southwest neighborhoods from the Potomac River, will be completed and submitted to the Federal Emergency Management Agency this spring.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/ahead-of-her-trip-to-flint-next-month-norton-asks-for-update-on-lead,"Ahead of Her Trip to Flint Next Month, Norton Asks for Update on Lead Levels in D.C. Water Supply",2016-02-23,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released her letter to Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) Jo-Ellen Darcy and District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) General Manager George Hawkins asking for an update on the status of lead levels in D.C.’s water supply given the ongoing lead contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan, where Norton will travel next month as part of a congressional delegation.  Norton pointed up the similarities between the lead contamination crisis in Flint and the one in D.C. during the early 2000s, and requested information on current methods for monitoring lead levels in D.C.’s water supply to assure residents that their drinking water is safe.  Earlier this month, Norton discussed D.C.’s lead contamination crisis during her questioning at a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing examining the lead contamination of the drinking water in Flint.
In her letter, Norton wrote, “Although Flint’s issues may be more severe, there are parallels between D.C.’s water contamination problems in the early 2000s and Flint’s water crisis today, not least of which is the need for added phosphates to prevent corrosion of lead pipes.  In light of the Flint water crisis hearing, and the District’s own history of water quality issues, I request that you send my office information about how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and DC Water test for lead in the water supply, how often, and how monitoring is done over time.  Moreover, I would like to know if and how DC Water collaborates with the Army Corps to ensure that water leaving the Washington Aqueduct through pipes under the jurisdiction of DC Water is free of lead.  Given testimony at the Flint water hearing that the accuracy of some tests are compromised due to ‘pre-flushing’ the water to reduce the levels of lead, I would especially like to know how DC Water and the Army Corps ensure that the test results are precise.”
Norton’s full letter is below.
Jo-Ellen Darcy                                    George S. Hawkins  
	Assistant Secretary of the Army         General Manager  
	Civil Works                                         District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority        
	108 Army Pentagon                            5000 Overlook Ave SW                                               
	Washington, DC 20310                      Washington, DC 20032
Dear Assistant Secretary Darcy and Mr. Hawkins:
I am writing to you for an update on the status of lead levels in the District of Columbia’s water supply.  On March 4, I will be traveling with a congressional delegation to Flint, Michigan, which, as you know, is in the midst of a serious lead contamination crisis.  On February 3, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing on the lead contamination of the drinking water in Flint.  During questioning, I raised the District’s own tragic lead contamination crisis in the early 2000s, where high levels of lead were found in our drinking water—at the time, some of the highest lead levels ever recorded in this country.  This contamination had serious consequences for thousands of District residents, including 42,000 children under the age of two who were potentially exposed to lead during this time, and which also correlated with a spike in the number of fetal deaths and spontaneous abortions.
Although Flint’s issues may be more severe, there are parallels between D.C.’s water contamination problems in the early 2000s and Flint’s water crisis today, not least of which is the need for added phosphates to prevent corrosion of lead pipes.  In light of the Flint water crisis hearing, and the District’s own history of water quality issues, I request that you send my office information about how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and DC Water test for lead in the water supply, how often, and how monitoring is done over time.  Moreover, I would like to know if and how DC Water collaborates with the Army Corps to ensure that water leaving the Washington Aqueduct through pipes under the jurisdiction of DC Water is free of lead.  Given testimony at the Flint water hearing that the accuracy of some tests are compromised due to “pre-flushing” the water to reduce the levels of lead, I would especially like to know how DC Water and the Army Corps ensure that the test results are precise.
I ask for a response to my letter within 30 days.
Sincerely,
Eleanor Holmes Norton
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-applauds-president-s-announcement-to-continue-work-to-close,Norton Applauds Presidents Announcement to Continue Work to Close Guantanamo Bay and Says the Buck Now Should Stop with Congress,2016-02-23,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released the following statement regarding President Obama’s announcement today of his plan for closing the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility.
“I commend the President for not letting the Congress rest on the ghost town that Guantanamo Bay has become.  As we pay $450 million annually for that near-empty facility, we must ask, why is the strongest nation in the world afraid to house detainees accused of terrorism within our borders?  I have visited Guantanamo three times.  Each time it has been remarkable to see how successful the administration has been in bringing the total number of detainees down from nearly 800 to 91, with 35 now cleared for transfer to allied nations, and 10 undergoing military trials.  Will my Republican colleagues keep Guantanamo open if the administration gets us down to a prisoner or two, or at least to the ten that are scheduled for military trails?  This is not a rhetorical question.  The United States is in the unprecedented position of now holding detainees without trail, perhaps indefinitely.  I do not underestimate the difficulty of prosecuting detainees who could face the death penalty or life in prison.  What is unacceptable is for the United States to hold detainees for nearly 15 years without trial in a country that guarantees a fair trial even to terrorists.  The administration has been very resourceful in reducing the number of detainees, but Senator John McCain (R-AZ) is wrong when he says the president has ‘passed the buck’ to Congress.  The buck stops in Congress.  It is Congress that has said no to allowing the few remaining detainees to be transferred to maximum-security prisons, which are prepared to receive them here, until they can be prosecuted.  The almost instantaneous criticism claiming that the president’s plan lacks detail need only be addressed with a hearing, if necessary.  We have allowed Guantanamo to become a larger-than-life symbol in the battle against terrorism, showing our country’s open flaunting of our own principles by holding detainees at Guantanamo without trial.”
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-introduces-incentive-based-bill-to-encourage-businesses-to-hire,Norton Introduces Incentive-Based Bill to Encourage Businesses to Hire Long-Term Unemployed,2016-02-23,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced a bill that would help address the ongoing crisis of long-term unemployment.  Norton's bill would give employers a $5,000 tax credit against their payroll tax liability for each new net person hired who has been unemployed for 27 weeks or longer.  Although the overall unemployment rate has dropped dramatically since the trough of the Great Recession, the long-term unemployment rate has remained stubbornly high.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of long-term unemployed in January 2016 was 2.1 million, which accounted for 26.9 percent of the total unemployed population.  Norton said it is troubling that the number of long-term unemployed Americans has remained unchanged since June 2015.
“As our economy continues to improve after the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, long-term unemployed Americans are not sharing in the recovery,” Norton said.  “All too often, long-term unemployment itself is held against these job seekers as they are passed over by employers, trapping otherwise highly-qualified, experienced candidates in a vicious cycle,” Norton said.  “As our economy turns around, we must ensure that our long-term unemployed do not become permanently unemployed.  My bill would provide a boost to the economy and to Americans who just need an opportunity to get back into the workforce.”
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-vows-again-to-keep-dc-anti-discrimination-laws-intact-after,Norton Vows Again to Keep D.C. Anti-Discrimination Laws Intact After Heritage Foundation Calls on Congress to Block Them,2016-02-23,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today said she will once again vigorously defend two District of Columbia anti-discrimination laws from being overturned after the Heritage Foundation’s fiscal year 2017 budget blueprint for Congress, released today, calls for the Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Act (RHNDA) and the Human Rights Amendment Act (HRAA) to blocked or overturned.  Last year, Norton successfully kept a rider out of the fiscal year 2016 omnibus appropriations bill that would have prohibited D.C. from using its local funds to enforce RHNDA after the House Appropriations Committee approved such a provision.  The House also voted to overturn RHNDA through a disapproval resolution last year, the first such vote to overturn a D.C. law in almost 25 years, but the resolution died in the Senate.  RHNDA bars discrimination against employees, their spouses and dependents based on their reproductive health decisions, including not only abortion, but also in vitro fertilization.  Norton prevented disapproval resolutions that were introduced to overturn HRAA from moving in the House or Senate.  HRAA repealed a congressionally imposed rider that permitted schools in D.C. to deny LGBT students equal access to school facilities and services based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
“We will not allow the Heritage Foundation and its far-right conservative allies to trample on our jurisdiction’s local democratic rights and put thousands of our employees and students at risk of discrimination,” Norton said.  “Heritage and their allies proclaim principles of liberty and local autonomy daily, and then in a heartbeat turn on these same principles as they try to deny nearly 700,000 Americans living in the District the same rights that apply to all other American citizens.  We worked last year with a broad coalition of local and national organizations to defend D.C.’s local anti-discrimination laws from congressional interference, and we will do the same again this year.”
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-informed-that-fta-will-take-fresh-look-at-its-financial,"Norton Informed that FTA Will Take Fresh Look at Its Financial Monitoring of WMATA, But Raises New Urgency In Light of WMATA Hiring Bankruptcy Expert and Accumulation of $500 Million Operational Deficit",2016-02-22,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released her letter to Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Acting Administrator Therese McMillan following up on her original request that FTA continue financial monitoring of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) while considering changes to the current paper method of monitoring to ease WMATAs dependence on short-term borrowing for operational expenses. Norton thanked Administrator McMillan for agreeing to take a fresh look at FTAs financial monitoring system, but said her concern about WMATAs short-term borrowing had deepened because WMATA has since retained a bankruptcy expert.
In her letter, Norton said, I have learned that WMATAs short-term borrowing includes large lines of credit with banks that are being rolled over, bringing WMATA an operational deficit of approximately $500 million with costly interest payments. WMATA had never before engaged in short-term borrowing to cover day-to-day operating expenses until now. In light of this development, I am particularly concerned that the increase in WMATA funding that I was able to get as one of the four leaders of the recently-signed surface transportation bill may be used to pay debt rather than for efforts that relieve the pressure that has resulted in a five percent loss in ridership over the past five years.
Since March 2014, FTA has required WMATA to submit all requested federal reimbursements through paperrather than the electronic methods typically usedafter FTA found serious weaknesses in WMATAs financial controls.
Nortons full letter is below.
Therese McMillan  
	Acting Administrator  
	Federal Transit Administration  
	1200 New Jersey Ave SE  
	Washington, DC 20590
Dear Acting Administrator McMillan:
I want to thank you for your responsive letter of January 28, 2016, indicating that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is taking a fresh look at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authoritys (WMATA) financial situation, using a testing process for a validation plan to ensure that the agencys financial systems are improved and will continue to function adequately now that WMATA has corrected all of the Financial Management Oversight Reports material weaknesses and significant deficiency findings. Because FTA monitoring has been chiefly responsible for the improvement of WMATAs financial practices, I believe that continuing monitoring by FTA at this time remains essential to avoid any return to financial difficulties, particularly considering WMATAs fragile financial condition.
I write now because of press reports that WMATA has hired the bankruptcy lawyer who was Detroits state-appointed, full-time Emergency Manager, although making clear that WMATA does not envision such a role here in the District. In any case, WMATA is not entitled to seek bankruptcy. The expertise of the bankruptcy specialist may be prudent in light of WMATAs shaky financial condition, but the need is still disquieting.
Bringing on such an expert speaks volumes about the seriousness of WMATAs current financial condition. I have learned that WMATAs short-term borrowing includes large lines of credit with banks that are being rolled over, bringing WMATA an operational deficit of approximately $500 million with costly interest payments. WMATA had never before engaged in short-term borrowing to cover day-to-day operating expenses until now. In light of this development, I am particularly concerned that the increase in WMATA funding that I was able to get as one of the four leaders of the recently-signed surface transportation bill may be used to pay debt rather than for efforts that relieve the pressure that has resulted in a five percent loss in ridership over the past five years. It will be more difficult to secure needed federal funding for WMATA if Congress believes that insufficient steps have been taken to avoid debt and especially high-interest short-term borrowing. I am so concerned about the need for a bankruptcy expert that I am requesting a regional congressional briefing with the WMATA executive board and its new general manager.
However, I am encouraged by your fresh look at WMATAs finances to see if there is a more efficient way to monitor the agency than requiring it to use the snail-pace handwritten documentation of every expense to draw federal funds. It is impossible to separate the slowest way of getting the federal funds due to WMATA from a need for these funds, which has become so dire that WMATA must engage in costly short-term borrowing for its daily operations pending receipt of these federal funds. WMATAs loss of five percent of its riders over the past five years also is a major factor in its current financial condition. Passenger decline has forced WMATA to consider rider incentives that will deprive the agency of funds in the short term. Whatever the causes of WMATAs financial troubles, I urge you to use a close monitoring system of WMATAs finances that will allow it to employ a more rapid way to draw down funds owed the agency. The unintended consequences of slow documentation by hand cannot be doubted. However, todays technology, with close monitoring, should permit faster drawdown of funds.
Sincerely,
Eleanor Holmes Norton
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-statement-on-closure-of-washington-monument-elevator,Norton Statement on Closure of Washington Monument Elevator,2016-02-19,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released the following statement after the National Park Service (NPS) announced that the Washington Monuments main elevator will be closed until early next week until a damaged elevator control box is repaired.
The NPS has been in contact with my office concerning the closing of the Washington Monument until early next week. I appreciate that NPS is conducting a thorough investigation of the cause of the elevator outage. However, I am concerned that this latest breakdown of the most important elevator in the nations capital should not become the continuation of a trend that we have seen since the elevator reopened in 2014 following major efforts to repair damages from the 2011 earthquake, and again last summer during the peak of the summer tourism season. There is a loss of revenue to the Districts significant tourist economy whenever visitors cannot enter the Monument. I will request a meeting with NPS officials to discuss their investigation. I will inquire not only about the circumstances surrounding the latest break down, but also about related issues about whether the contractor that apparently caused damage to the elevator control box while conducting unrelated work is the prime contractor responsible for the elevator when it has gone down since the Monuments rehabilitation, who is responsible for the maintenance of the facility, the approximate number of visitors expected during the time period of this closure based on past records, and steps NPS plans to take to prevent a shutdown in the future.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-in-your-neighborhood-tonight-with-kingman-park-civic-association,"Norton in Your Neighborhood Tonight with Kingman Park Civic Association to Focus on Wins for D.C. in Presidents Budget, D.C. Priorities in Transportation Bill, and Statehood",2016-02-18,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will host a Norton in Your Neighborhood community conversation with the Kingman Park Civic Association tonight, Thursday, February 18, 2016, from 7:00 p.m.  8:00 p.m., at St. Benedict the MoorChurch (320 21st St. NE). Norton will engage Kingman Park-area and other District of Columbia residents in a discussion of the major funding and legislative victories for the District of Columbia in the Presidents fiscal year 2017 budget, D.C.s priorities included in surface transportation bill, the highest number ever of House and Senate original cosponsors for her D.C. statehood bill, and other congressional issues of interest to the community.
Norton in Your Neighborhoods are the perfect opportunities to give my constituents an overview of our accomplishments for D.C. and to hear from them on what I need to be working on in Congress, Norton said.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-to-host-ask-me-about-dc-reception-with-dc-hospitality-industry-to,"Norton to Host Ask Me About DC Reception with D.C. Hospitality Industry to Showcase Local D.C. Attractions to Congress, Friday",2016-02-18,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), in conjunction with Destination DC, the District of Columbias official tourism and marketing office, will host a Capitol Hill event on Friday, February 19, 2016, from 11:30 a.m.  1:30 p.m., in 345 Cannon House Office Building (Cannon Caucus Room) to showcase D.C.s local restaurants, nightlife, museums, shops, theaters, neighborhoods, and other tourist attractions to congressional and other regional staffers. Samples from a variety of D.C. restaurants will be available, and Hill Country Barbecue will provide boxed lunches.
Each year, our burgeoning hospitality industry highlights the increasing number of D.C. hot spots that Members of Congress and their staff may not even know about, Norton said. It is a very popular event on the Hill not only because Members and staffers can learn about what is new, but also so they can inform their constituents visiting the nations capital about the best attractions our city has to offer.
In order to guarantee entrance, participants must bring a business card, or write their name, job title, and email on a card.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-to-be-featured-guest-speaker-at-george-washington-university,"Norton to Be Featured Guest Speaker at George Washington University Black Heritage Celebration Event, Tonight",2016-02-17,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will be the featured guest at a Black Heritage Celebration hosted by George Washington University tonight, February 17, 2016, at 7:00 p.m., in Room B07at the George Washington School of Media & Public Affairs (805 21st St. NW). Norton will join students and the public to discuss the youth civil rights movement of which she was a part and todays updated version of young people in the streets protesting police abuse, joblessness, and other conditions facing young African Americans.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-to-congratulate-udc-at-40th-anniversary-founders-day-celebration,"Norton to Congratulate UDC at 40th Anniversary Founders Day Celebration, Tomorrow",2016-02-17,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will give remarks at the University of the District of Columbias (UDC) 40th Anniversary Founders Day Celebration tomorrow, February 18, 2016, at 10:00 a.m., on UDCs Van Ness Campus at the Theater of the Arts Auditorium (Connecticut Ave. at Windom Circle, NW).
We are particularly proud of UDC, which has the largest number of D.C. residents of any university in the District of Columbia, Norton said. That speaks volumes about UDCs contributions to our residents and our economy. This year of commemoration is particularly notable. This Founders Day, we are pleased to welcome new President Ronald Mason, Jr. to UDC, one of the nations oldest Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), created in 1851, as our university celebrates its 40th anniversary of the merging of its three colleges into the University of the District of Columbia.
Norton is a longtime champion in the Congress for UDC and has secured new benefits for the university. In 1999, when Norton introduced and later won passage of the D.C. College Access Act, which established the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG) program, she also insisted and got UDC eligible for the first time for federal HBCU funding.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-to-host-black-history-month-roundtable-on-young-black-empowerment,"Norton to Host Black History Month Roundtable on Young Black Empowerment to Highlight Black Millennial Success Stories, Tomorrow",2016-02-16,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will commemorate Black History Month by hosting a community discussion entitled, Young Black Empowerment: A Roundtable on Millennial Success Stories on Wednesday, February 17, 2016, from 10:00 a.m.  11:30 a.m., at the Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School Library (2427 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE). The Black History Month commemoration is open to the public. The roundtable will feature three District of Columbia residents: Tony Lewis, Jr. is an author and local community activist who works directly with children of incarcerated parents; Yasmine Arrington is a student at Howard School of Divinity and is the founder of ScholarChips, a nonprofit that provides college scholarships to children of incarcerated parents; and Clayton Armstrong, a Ward 8 resident and a graduate of Ballou High School, is a staff assistant in Nortons congressional office and has received awards from organizations such as the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Hoop Dreams Scholarship Fund and the Mayors Youth Leadership Institute.
African American millennials are being heard loud and clear on todays issues affecting young Blacksfrom police abuse to college debt that disproportionately burdens them, Norton said. I believe that Thurgood Marshall students thinking about their futures will be inspired after hearing from and about local, young Black leaders who have experienced adversity and overcome it. I look forward to hearing these success stories and the discussion from Thurgood Marshall students afterward. Celebrating todays young Blacks in memory of our historic figures, we believe, is a perfect way to commemorate those who came before them during Black History Month.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-statement-on-passing-of-supreme-court-justice-antonin-scalia,Norton Statement on Passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia,2016-02-13,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released the following statement on the passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, one of the Courts most caustic dissenters, nevertheless left his unique mark on the Court. I am far from alone in taking issue with his virtually dogmatic originalist views. Yet, our polarized Congressand countrycould learn much from Justice Scalias close and cordial relationships with his colleagues and they with him, notwithstanding the biting language of his decisions. Justice Scalias special relationship with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is, of course, most often cited. I did not know Justice Scalia, but I will never forget his good humor when both Justices Scalia and Ginsburg and I were among a small group invited to sit on stage as extras in a scene set in a caf during an opera, while the major performers sang their roles at the Kennedy Center.
I express my condolences to Justice Scalias wife, Maureen, and his entire family.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-gets-airplane-noise-control-and-her-other-priorities-in-faa,Norton Gets Airplane Noise Control and Her Other Priorities in FAA Reauthorization Bill,2016-02-12,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Despite divisions on a controversial Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a senior member of the normally bipartisan House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and one of the Big Four transportation leaders who wrote the recently-enacted surface transportation bill, got her major priorities for the District of Columbia and the nation into the bill, which passed the committee last night.
What D.C. residents will find most important in this FAA bill is what did not make the headlines: our provisions to increase control of airplane noise and the related issue of limiting the number of flights at Regan National Airport, banning the use of electronic cigarettes and vaping devices on planes, continued authorization of the Disadvantages Business Enterprise program to ensure equal treatment in the awarding of contracts, and our ongoing work on reforming the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authoritys auditing and contracting regulations.
Statutory Mandate to Control Airplane Noise
Norton got significant provisions to address outrageous airplane noise that has been plaguing communities in the District and nationwide as a result of new Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) flight paths. Nortons provision requires the FAA to conduct a review of aircraft noise exposure and its effects on communities around airports, including a review of FAAs community involvement practices for NextGen projects located in metroplexes. Until now, Norton has had to work with the FAA without a statutory mandate to get more community involvement in solving airplane noise issues at Reagan National Airport (DCA), which is part of a metroplex with Dulles International and Baltimore Washington International airports. Last year, she held a community airplane noise town hall with residents and officials from the FAA and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA). Following that meeting, Norton got MWAA to convene an airplane noise working group that includes D.C. and Virginia residents and airline officials to make recommendations to the FAA on flight paths.
No New Planes at DCA; Flight Perimeter Stays Intact
Norton defeated attempts to add additional large planes and airplane noise at DCA to accommodate more flights outside the current 1,250 mile DCA perimeter. A Member withdrew his amendment to expand the perimeter for flights to his Corpus Christie, TX hometown after Norton and Representative Barbara Comstock (R-VA) reached out to their committee colleagues to urge them to oppose expanding the perimeter, which would overburden an already crowded DCA. Norton said that with billions of taxpayer dollars already invested to expand Dulles, Members should not introduce self-serving amendments to increase long-haul flights into DCA for their personal convenience while the number of domestic passengers at Dulles has decreased over the past eight years.
Banning Use of Electronic Cigarettes and Vaping Devices on Airplanes
One of the few Democratic amendments to attract Republican support was Nortons amendment prohibiting the use of electronic cigarettes and vaping devices on airplanes, which passed with bipartisan support. She prevailed in spite of a stunt by Representative Hunter Duncan (R-CA), who brought his vaporizer to the hearing and vaped smoke used to simulate smoking into the face of his fellow Republican, Representative Candice Miller (R-MI), who subsequently voted for the Norton amendment. Norton first introduced this provision as a standalone bill last October after the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a rule prohibiting passengers and crewmembers from carrying battery-powered portable electronic smoking devices in checked baggage, which did not ban the use of these vaping devices on airplanes. Norton does not object to vaping, but vaping nicotine or other vapor on an airplane that then circulates the vapor to others would be both a health risk and a nuisance in a closed space. She said that the 25-year-old ban against smoking on planes should apply to electronic cigarettes and vaping devices as well.
Continued Authorization of Equal Opportunity in Business Contracting
Norton got the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program, which provides equality in contract opportunities for businesses owned by minorities, women, and service-disabled veterans, to remain authorized in the bill. The bill also provides updated findings to support the constitutionality of the program.
Reforming MWAA
In response to several U.S. Department of Transportations (DOT) Inspector General (IG) reports finding chronic problems with MWAAs auditing policies and procedures, Norton has been pushing to get MWAA to adopt federal anti-nepotism rules and generally accepted federal auditing standards. Although Norton has gotten MWAA to adopt accepted auditing standards and anti-nepotism rules, her new FAA provision requires the DOT IG to conduct a study on MWAAs progress in implementing the updated standards and to submit a report to Congress that includes the findings, conclusions, and recommendations for strengthening and improving MWAAs Office of Audit.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-amendment-banning-use-of-e-cigarettes-and-other-electronic,Norton Amendment Banning Use of E-Cigarettes and Other Electronic Smoking Devices on Airplanes Passes Committee,2016-02-11,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a senior Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, today got one of the few Democratic amendments passed during the committee markup of a controversial bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration. Nortons amendment would prohibit the use of electronic cigarettes and vaping devices for smoking on airplanes. Her amendment passed with a bipartisan vote of 33-26 after a spirited debate, which included Representative Duncan Hunter (R-CA) pulling out his own vaporizer and taking a puff.
I am surprised by the strong margin by which my amendment passed, but I introduced it by reminding Members that nearly 30 years ago we banned smoking on airplanes, Norton said. Despite the best efforts of Representative Hunter, who came equipped with his vaping device and demonstrated its use, Members were not impressed enough to defeat my amendment. The Member sitting next to Rep. Hunter even fanned away the smoke emitted from the vaporizer, illustrating my point about second-hand smoke. On a serious note, though, I reminded Members of the countless lives lost after it took us decades to ban smoking on airplanes and elsewhere and asked that there be no repeat of such a delay on electronic cigarettes and vaping devices.
Norton first introduced this provision as a standalone bill last October after the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a rule prohibiting passengers and crewmembers from carrying battery-powered portable electronic smoking devices in checked baggage, which did not ban the use of these vaping devices on airplanes. Norton said these devices pose significant fire and health risks to airplane passengers. Norton said that although some individual airlines have banned the use of e-cigarettes and vaping devices on airplanes, a federal ban is necessary to cover all airlines.
Below is Nortons full statement introducing the amendment.
STATEMENT OF
	THE HONORABLE ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON
	COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
	AMENDMENT TO BAN THE USE OF E-CIGARETTES ON AIRPLANES
FEBRUARY 11, 2016
My amendment prohibits the use of electronic cigarettes and vaping devices on commercial airplanes by including use of these devices within the definition of smoking. Smoking tobacco products on commercial airplanes has been banned for years, but with the increase in use of electronic cigarettes and vaping devices, it is necessary to update our laws to reflect this new nuisance and health risk on airplanes. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in 2011 to ban the use of these devices on commercial airplanes, but four years later, no progress has been made. DOT issued a rule in October banning e-cigarettes from checked bags, but DOT has not taken the additional step of banning the use of e-cigarettes on airplanes. Therefore, Congress should step in to legislatively resolve this issue, particularly considering the increasing popularity of electronic cigarettes.
Electronic cigarette use has increased over the last decade with the increased education of the general public about the dangers and public health threats caused by traditional cigarettes to smokers and nonsmokers alike. For example, between 2010 and 2011, e-cigarette use among adults doubled. Researchers and public health experts have voiced concerns over the use of electronic cigarettes because there are still so many unknowns about the chemicals these devices can produce. The American Lung Association (ALA) has cited many concerns about the lack of regulation of e-cigarettes because they are on the market while the potential harm from e-cigarette secondhand exposure remains unknown. ALA has identified two studies that show formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, benzene, tobacco-specific nitrosamines, and other harmful irritants coming from e-cigarette emissions. In addition, the temperature of an e-cigarette can affect how harmful the chemicals are, but with no configuration standards, it is too difficult to uniformly assess the health effects of smoking e-cigarettes.
This year, we celebrate 25 years since legislation was passed banning smoking on domestic flights in the United States. The current smoking ban applies to the smoking of tobacco products on all scheduled passenger flights and on scheduled passenger flight segments on foreign air carriers in the U.S. and between the U.S. and foreign countries, unless a waiver is granted based on bilateral negotiations.
In 2011, DOT issued an NPRM to prohibit the use of e-cigarettes on U.S. airplanes. Under current FAA policy, battery-powered electronic cigarettes, vaporizers, vape pens, atomizers, and electronic nicotine systems are prohibited in checked baggage, and the FAA recommends that such devices only be carried in the aircraft cabins because of safety issues. It is up to individual airlines to ban their use. Some airlines have already taken the initiative to institute a ban on the use of electronic cigarettes, but legislation is necessary to make this update applicable to all airlines, and permanent. The amendment will change the statutory definition of smoking in 49 U.S.C. 41706 to include the use of electronic cigarettes, defined as a device that delivers nicotine or other substances to a user of the device in the form of a vapor that is inhaled to simulate the experience of smoking.
I urge the adoption of this amendment.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-gets-dc-returning-citizens-covered-by-incentive-based-bill-to,Norton Gets D.C. Returning Citizens Covered by Incentive-Based Bill to Reduce Recidivism and Prepare BOP Inmates for Reentry,2016-02-11,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today got a major victory for District of Columbia returning citizens by making them eligible for benefits under a new program for Federal Bureau of Prison (BOP) inmates that provides incentives and rewards for prisoners who participate in recidivism reduction programs. Norton got the bill, the Corrections and Recidivism Reduction Act (H.R. 759), amended during todays Judiciary Committee markup to make D.C. Code, who are housed by BOP, felons eligible for the program. The committee passed the bill. Norton thanked Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI), Subcommittee Ranking Member Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), and Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), who introduced the bill, for working with her to amend the bill. Norton is not a member of the Judiciary Committee.
Including D.C. Code felons in this bipartisan legislation was a major priority for us as we continue to seek ways to help our returning citizens transition back to society and stay out of prison permanently, Norton said. When our D.C. residents first entered the BOP system, I had to engage in a major struggle to get them included in BOPs heralded drug treatment program. Since D.C. Code felons are housed in BOP facilities, they must have equal access to services, particularly these new innovative incentive-based programs that will reduce recidivism.
Last November, Norton hosted a roundtable featuring D.C. returning citizens and a panel of federal officials to examine ways to ensure assistance for D.C. returning citizens as they transition back to society. Norton has successfully gotten administrative action to provide D.C. Code felons with equal access to other critical services provided to federal offenders. She got D.C. Code felons included in BOPs highly effective, evidence-based, state-of-the-art 500-hour drug treatment program, with an invaluable built-in incentive of eligibility for a possible one year reduction in the sentences of nonviolent inmates upon successful completion. She has also successfully gotten D.C. juveniles convicted as adults housed within the District until they are adults, and got D.C. Code felons serving six months or less housed within the District.
Some of the major provisions in H.R. 759 include:
 Incentives and rewards for prisoners who participate in recidivism reduction programs, like family visitation and phone calls, time credits (at least 10 days of credits for each 30 days of participation in a recidivism reduction program).
	Designates a release preparation coordinator at BOP facilities that determines the release needs for returning citizens and helps them develop a comprehensive release plan, including on housing, employment, and health care.
	Allows BOP to build partnerships with local nonprofits, private groups, and educational institutions to expand recidivism reduction programs.
 ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-introduces-bill-for-commission-to-honor-200th-anniversary-of,Norton Introduces Bill for Commission to Honor 200th Anniversary of Birth of Frederick Douglass,2016-02-11,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.With Frederick Douglasss February 14 birthday approaching this Sunday, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced a bill to establish a commission to study ways that the federal government might honor and celebrate the life of Douglass during the bicentennial anniversary of his birth, in 2018.
In her introductory statement for the bill, Norton said, Douglass dedicated his life to achieving justice for all Americans. He lived in the District of Columbia for 23 of his 57 years as a free man and was deeply committed to obtaining equal congressional voting and self-government rights for District residents. His home at Cedar Hill was established as a National Historic Site in Southeast Washington, D.C., and his statue in the United States Capitol is a gift from the 650,000 American citizens of the District of Columbia.
My bill would establish a commission to examine ways the federal government can honor Douglass during the bicentennial anniversary of his birth, including the issuance of a Frederick Douglass bicentennial postage stamp, the convening of a joint meeting or joint session of Congress for ceremonies and activities relating to Frederick Douglass, a rededication of the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, and the acquisition and preservation of artifacts associated with Frederick Douglass.
In 2013, Norton got her bill passed to make the District of Columbia equal with the states by bringing a statue of Frederick Douglass representing the District into the Capitol Building. D.C. is now the only jurisdiction that is not yet a state to have a statue there, along with the 50 states. Douglass statue is a featured destination on Capitol Hill tours that Norton leads for D.C. students and other organizations.
Nortons full introductory statement is below.
Statement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Introduction of the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission Act
February 11, 2016
As we celebrate the birthday of Frederick Douglass, I introduce a bill that would establish a bicentennial commission to study ways that the federal government might honor and celebrate the life of Douglass during the bicentennial anniversary of his birth, in 2018.
Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in 1818 on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. He learned basic reading skills from his mistress and continued to teach himself and other slaves to read and write despite the risks he faced, including death. After two attempts, Douglass successfully escaped to New York and became an abolitionist and anti-slavery lecturer. He went on to serve in several administrations, including as a close advisor to President Abraham Lincoln, U.S. Marshal of the District of Columbia under President Rutherford B. Hayes, and District of Columbia Recorder of Deeds under President James Garfield. In 1889, President Benjamin Harrison appointed Frederick Douglass to be the U.S. minister to Haiti. He was later appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant to serve as secretary of the commission of Santo Domingo.
Douglass dedicated his life to achieving justice for all Americans. He lived in the District of Columbia for 23 of his 57 years as a free man and was deeply committed to obtaining equal congressional voting and self-government rights for District residents. His home at Cedar Hill was established as a National Historic Site in Southeast Washington, D.C., and his statue in the United States Capitol is a gift from the 650,000 American citizens of the District of Columbia.
My bill would establish a commission to examine ways the federal government can honor Douglass during the bicentennial anniversary of his birth, including the issuance of a Frederick Douglass bicentennial postage stamp, the convening of a joint meeting or joint session of Congress for ceremonies and activities relating to Frederick Douglass, a rededication of the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, and the acquisition and preservation of artifacts associated with Frederick Douglass. The Commission would report its findings and recommendations to Congress.
I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-wins-on-her-two-priorities-during-faa-reauthorization-bill-markup,Norton Wins on Her Two Priorities During FAA Reauthorization Bill Markup,2016-02-11,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, today got wins on two amendments during the committees markup of a controversial bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Nortons amendment prohibiting the use of electronic cigarettes and vaping devices for smoking on airplanes passed with bipartisan support (33-26), and she defeated an amendment to expand the perimeter for flights at Reagan National Airport. Representative Blake Farenthold (R-TX) withdrew his amendment after receiving strong bipartisan opposition from Norton and Representative Barbara Comstock (R-VA). Norton said she will closely analyze the updated FAA reauthorization bill.
Norton said that she regrets having to oppose the FAA reauthorization bill itself. She said, however, that the bill has many unacceptable flaws. For example, the private corporation that would assume authority over the nations Air Traffic Control System would be dominated by the airlines and their allies, leaving a vital industry to regulate itself for the first time in U.S. history. Moreover, Norton said the reauthorization bill would sever Air Traffic controllers from the FAA and would gift resources paid for by taxpayers to a private corporation.
I am pleased with the several provisions for the District that I was able to get into the base FAA reauthorization bill despite my opposition to the current version, Norton said. I was especially pleased by the progress I made on my two major priorities. I got the bill I introduced last year to ban the use of electronic cigarettes and vaping devices for smoking on airplanes into this bill, which will help it pass even if this FAA bill does not pass. Beating back a provision, to commandeer space at Reagan National Airport for planes traveling long distances, one that is all too typical in Congress, was especially important. Taxpayers have spent billions to expand space at Dulles International Airport for flights traveling beyond 1,250 miles and international flights. Yet, all the growth has been at Reagan for the convenience of Members of Congress from the West Coast and other long-distance destinations. This is the first time since I have been in Congress that we have made progress reinforcing the perimeter rule that limits long-haul flights into Reagan.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-raises-concerns-about-proposal-to-privatize-the-air-traffic,"Norton Raises Concerns About Proposal to Privatize the Air Traffic Control System, Citing Airplane Noise Issues in D.C. and Nationwide",2016-02-10,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today at a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing examining a proposal to transfer authority over the nations Air Traffic Control System (ATC) to a private corporation expressed her concern about its feasibility and its responsiveness to the public on issues such as airplane noise, which has become a major problem in the District of Columbia and throughout the country. However, Norton said that she appreciated how Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) had incorporated into his proposal some provisions to address her concerns, including some provisions on airplane noise. Nortons concern was how a private corporation, not structured as an administrative agency of government, would respond to the public. At the hearing, Paul Rinaldi, President of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, listed a litany of problems that the ATC System privatization would address, such as those caused by the sequester, government shutdowns, and uncertainty of appropriations funding. Norton said that these problems, however, were congressionally-inflicted problems on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), not problems arising from the agency itself, and hardly a reason to take more than $50 billion in assets and give them for free to a private corporation. Norton said that the FAAs dysfunction does not make the case for severing the ATC controllers from the FAA. She said most surprising was how the proposal encourages litigation to resolve differences between the private corporation and the FAA. The Secretary of Transportation would have 45 days to approve a decision or action by the corporations board, and if the board disagrees with the Secretarys decision, the Secretary would have to sue the corporation in order to prevail, introducing the judiciary, the slowest of all branches of our government, into the present ATC System.
Because the private corporation would not be a governmental agency, what recourse would be available if the corporation issued rules or policies that would necessitate public feedback? Norton said. Although the Secretary of Transportation can appoint two members to the corporations board, no member of the public is required to be on the board. The process for ensuring that the publics concerns are addressed under this proposal remains a mystery.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-thanks-senate-committee-for-passing-home-rule-recognition-in,Norton Thanks Senate Committee for Passing Home-Rule Recognition in Presidential Pension Bill,2016-02-10,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) thanked Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) for working with her to get a home-rule change to the Presidential Allowance Modernization Act, which was passed today by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ernsts bill updates the Former Presidents Act of 1958, which governs pensions and allowances for former U.S. Presidents and surviving spouses. Norton worked with Ernst to fix the underlying law and bill, which effectively treated the District of Columbia government as a part of the federal government, as it was when the Former Presidents Act was passed. Nortons change resulted in the bill recognizing the District as an independent jurisdiction with a locally elected government, which was established by the Home Rule Act of 1973. Norton got the same home-rule change to the House-passed version of the Presidential Allowance Modernization Act.
I am grateful for this small, but significant, change, Norton said. As we strive for statehood, we cannot allow Congress to ignore our current home-rule right to self-government in any form or to any degree. We are long past the time when we can tolerate any legislation that does not correctly recognize our struggle for self-government.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/president-s-budget-features-support-for-dc-budget-and-legislative,Presidents Budget Features Support for D.C. Budget and Legislative Autonomy and Full Funding for Nortons D.C. Priorities,2016-02-09,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said today that she was gratified that President Obamas fiscal year 2017 budget, his final budget, contains the major funding and policy priorities for the District of Columbia that she requested, including pro-home-rule provisions to allow D.C.s budget and laws to take effect immediately upon passage by the city. Norton was particularly pleased that the budget provides full funding for ongoing construction at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) complex at St. Elizabeths in Ward 8, which ensures the project will move forward without delay and is on track to be finished by fiscal year 2021. The budget also removes the riders included in the fiscal year 2016 omnibus appropriations bill that prevented D.C. from using its local funds to tax and regulate the sale of marijuana and from spending local funds on abortion services for low-income women.
President Obamas final budget not only funds our major priorities for the District, but once again demonstrates the Presidents full support of self-governance for the District with budget and legislative autonomy and the removal of all politically-motivated anti-home-rule riders, Norton said. After several years of congressional delay, the Presidents full funding of the DHS consolidation in Ward 8 will not only save millions in taxpayer funds, but also will bring jobs and economic development to communities east of the Anacostia River that need them most. I will be working throughout the year to get the House and Senate to pass these critical funding levels and policy provisions.
DHS consolidation at St. Elizabeths in Ward 8, the largest federal construction project in the nation, would receive $267 million in General Services Administration funding and $199 million in DHS funding. The fiscal year 2017 amount would allow three additional DHS agencies to relocate to St. Elizabethsthe Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Customs and Border Control. To date, Norton has secured over $2.16 billion for DHS construction at St. Elizabeths.
The budget provides $40 million for Norton's D.C. Tuition Assistance Grants (DCTAG) program, matching the historic amount Norton got enacted in the fiscal year 2016 omnibus, and will enable D.C. students to attend public universities and colleges nationwide for around the cost of in-state tuition. DCTAG has doubled college attendance in the District. Norton said she was especially pleased that the Presidents budget does not impose new means testing for DCTAG, maintaining the fiscal year 2016 omnibuss $750,000 level. Norton negotiated the fiscal year 2016 level up from the $450,000 means testing proposed by the Presidents fiscal year 2016 budget. For students who begin college in or after school year 2016-2017, those in families with taxable annual income of less than $750,000 would be eligible for DCTAG. The budget also provides $20 million for D.C. public schools and $20 million for D.C. public charter schools.
The budget provides $14 million for the DC Water and Sewer Authority, the amount included in the fiscal year 2016 omnibus, that Norton said is critical for ongoing work to control flooding in the city and clean up the Anacostia and Potomac rivers and Rock Creek.
The budget also provides $749 million for consolidation of the Federal Bureau of Investigations headquarters, moving the project forward and getting D.C. closer to reaping increased revenue from economic development at the Hoover Building site.
Other Norton priorities in the president's budget include the eighth $150 million installment for the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA); $20 million for D.C. for costs associated with the 2017 Presidential Inauguration; $5 million to combat HIV/AIDS in the District; and $450,000 for the Major General David F. Wherley, Jr. District of Columbia National Guard Retention and College Access Program for tuition for D.C. National Guard soldiers. The budget also includes $9 million in new funding for the redevelopment of the site of the Federal City Shelter.
This is the third presidential budget ever to include both budget and legislative autonomy for D.C. The Presidents budget states that, consistent with the principle of home rule, the Administration will work with Congress and the Mayor to increase and enhance D.C.s local autonomy.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-and-mayor-bowser-kick-off-tax-season-by-encouraging-low-and,Norton and Mayor Bowser Kick Off Tax Season By Encouraging Low- and Moderate-Income Residents to Use Free IRS-Certified Tax Preparation Services,2016-02-08,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.To ensure that thousands of District of Columbia residents get their federal and D.C. taxes prepared free of charge, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser today held a press conference at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. Also speaking were Eva Liggins, Director of D.C. Office of Tax and Revenues Customer Service Administration, Teresa Hinzeof Community Tax Aid, representing local Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites, and Amy Melrose, a D.C. resident. Despite unprecedented cuts to IRS tax preparation advice and services traditionally available to taxpayers, low- and moderate-income D.C. residents earning less than $54,000 can still receive tax return preparation services at VITA sites in their neighborhoods. D.C. residents can find their nearest VITA site by entering their zip code at https://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep/ or by viewing the full list of VITA sites on Nortons website.
Nortons full remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below.
 I want to particularly thank Mayor Muriel Bowser, Eva Liggins, Director of D.C. Office of Tax and Revenues Customer Service Administration, Teresa Heinz of Community Tax Aid, representing our neighborhood VITA sites, and Amy Melrose, a D.C. resident, for coming to help ensure that low and moderate-income residents do not pay to have their taxes prepared without representation when they could get them prepared by IRS-certified tax experts free of charge in their own neighborhoods. Every year for almost two decades, our office initially brought IRS employees themselves to prepare taxes for residents until drastic IRS cuts, and then IRS-certified VITA neighborhood groups, but they too have faced congressional cuts. Residents have depended on our citywide Tax Fair not only for a day of free tax preparation, but also to alert them to free neighborhood sites that do the same preparation throughout the tax season until April 15.
 Todays press conference is nothing less than a special alert to low- and moderate-income D.C. residents who earned up to $54,000 last year that they should not pay for what they can get from IRS-certified tax experts free of charge where they live.
 The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, the largest and most centrally-located VITA site in the city, is open every day of the week except for Friday, but there are VITA sites across the city, at least one in every ward. D.C. residents already pay the highest taxes per capita in the nation  without a vote in Congress to add insult to injury! We therefore feel a special obligation to help low- or moderate-income resident find their way to free VITA tax preparation sires.
 Here briefly is what residents need to know.
 Since 2010, the IRS budget has been slashed by 18%, cuts resulting in more than half of all phone calls to the IRS going unanswered.
	Our neighborhood VITA sites staffed by IRS-certified experts are now the first and last resort for a guarantee to get your full refund without being charged. Beware of commercial businesses looking to take advantage by offering, for example, to prepare your federal taxes for free, but then charging a fee for preparing state tax returns.
	Go to your neighborhood VITA sites even if you earned so little last year that you dont owe any income taxes because you may qualify for one of many tax credits and benefits anyway. You will hear more from Ms. Melrose about perhaps the most significantthe Earned Income Tax Creditwhich not only reduces the amount of taxes owed, but also may give a refundin addition to the Districts own EITC that complements the federal credit. In addition to the EITC, residents who may qualify for other federal tax credits, including the American Opportunity Tax Credit, the Lifetime Learning Credit, the Child and Dependent Care Credit, and the Saves Tax Credit, all designed to benefit low- and moderate-income earners. It is worth going to a neighborhood VITA site to find out.
	Beware of fraud with rise of tax scammers, who call and pretend to be from the IRS and demand unpaid taxes. Although the IRS will never contact you by phone, since 2013, nearly one million fake calls have been placed, robbing 5,000 victims of over $28.5 million.
  We will be waging a campaign until April 15 to help residents get honest, expert help at VITA sites. The full list of every VITA site in the city, along with their hours, is on my website. We have also posted a tool from the IRS website that allows people to type in their zip code and locate the VITA site closest to them. My office also will be available throughout the tax season to be helpful to all D.C. residents, even if they are not low- or moderate-income earners.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-and-mayor-bowser-to-host-tax-season-kick-off-press-conference-to,"Norton and Mayor Bowser to Host Tax Season Kick-Off Press Conference to Encourage Low- and Moderate-Income Residents to Use Free Tax Preparation Services, Monday",2016-02-05,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will host a press conference with District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser and representatives from Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites across D.C. to raise awareness that tax season has begun and to provide low- and moderate-income D.C. residents (income less than $54,000) information on where they can receive free income tax return preparation services at neighborhood VITA site locations on Monday, February 8, 2016, at 10:00 a.m., at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (801 G St. NW), Great Hall (First Floor). For 15 years, Norton has worked with the D.C. neighborhood VITA sites, staffed by IRS-certified volunteers, to put on a citywide Tax Fair at the beginning of each tax season where low- and moderate-income residents could have their D.C. and federal taxes prepared for free. The Tax Fair also alerted residents to VITA sites, open from February through Tax Day, located in their own neighborhoods. The high-profile, citywide Tax Fair could not be done this year due to congressional budget cuts to VITA sites. Therefore, Norton and Bowser are hosting a press conference to get the word out to low- and moderate-income residents that they should not pay for what they can get from tax experts free of charge. Norton and Bowser are holding the press conference at MLK Jr. Library because it is the citys largest and most centrally-located VITA site.
D.C. residents can find their nearest VITA site by entering their zip code at https://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep/, or by viewing the full list of VITA sites on Nortons website. In addition, residents who earned under $62,000 in 2015 can go to www.unitedway.org/myfreetaxes/ to file federal and state income tax returns free of charge.
				WHO
			
			
				Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)
				D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser
				Eva M. Liggins, D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue
				Teresa Hinze, Community Tax Aid
				Amy Melrose, D.C. resident
			
		
				WHAT
			
			
				Press Conference on Free Tax Preparation Services for D.C. Residents
			
		
				WHERE
			
			
				Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
				Great Hall, First Floor
				801 G St. NW
			
		
				WHEN
			
			
				Monday
				February 8, 2016
				10:00 a.m.
			
		
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/president-obama-nominates-norton-s-us-marshal-recommendation,President Obama Nominates Nortons U.S. Marshal Recommendation,2016-02-04,2016,2016-02,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.The Office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said that President Obama today nominated Patrick Burke to serve as U.S. Marshal for the District of Columbia. Burke, whom Norton recommended to the President, is currently an Assistant Chief in the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). President Obama, like President Clinton, granted Norton senatorial courtesy to recommend candidates for federal district court judges and other important federal law enforcement officials in the District. The U.S. Marshal for the District of Columbia is responsible for the enforcement of federal law throughout the District.
Patrick Burke, who has served as a D.C. police officer for over 25 years, will bring the definition of local experience and expertise to the U.S. Marshal for the District of Columbia position that I looked for in making this recommendation to President Obama, Norton said. Throughout his career, Assistant Chief Burke has forged valuable relationships with local and federal law enforcement agencies that will serve the District very well. Assistant Chief Burke has a special connection to our city, having resided here throughout his distinguished career and raising his family here.
Burke has spent his entire 26-year career as a police officer with MPD. He began his career as a patrol officer before rising to become one of five MPD Assistant Chiefs, who report directly to MPD Chief Cathy Lanier. From 2007-2011, Burke was the first-ever Assistant Chief for the Homeland Security Bureau, where he oversaw the special operations and intelligence divisions and coordinated with federal and regional security and police forces. Since 2011, Burke has served as Assistant Chief for the Strategic Services Bureau, where he oversees agency policy, training, testing and recruiting.
Burke and the other candidates who applied were interviewed and vetted by Nortons Federal Law Enforcement Nominating Commission, which is chaired by Pauline Schneider and is comprised of D.C. residents from all eight wards. The commission vets candidates and makes recommendations from which the Congresswoman selects her final choices to submit to the President. Burkes nomination will now go to the Senate.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-bill-strengthening-local-dc-justice-process-signed-into-law-by,Norton Bill Strengthening Local D.C. Justice Process Signed into Law by President Obama,2016-01-29,2016,2016-01,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.The office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced that President Obama yesterday signed a bill introduced by Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) to modernize and improve the daily operations of the District of Columbia Courts, the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDS) and the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia (CSOSA). Norton introduced the same version of the bill in the 113th Congress and the House passed it by voice vote. The 1997 Revitalization Act transferred the costs and operations of some state functions, including these three agencies, to the federal government. The District of Columbia Courts, Public Defender Service, and Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency Act of 2015 was one of the first three bills signed into law in 2016 by President Obama.
Among other technical changes, the bill authorizes CSOSA to use incentives-based programs for offenders, instead of only sanctions to get compliance; allows PDS to accept and use public grants, voluntary and uncompensated services, such as unpaid law clerks and interns and private contributions made to advance PDSs work; and allows the courts to collect debts owed by its employees to the courts.
These changes are important to our courts and justice agencies, Norton said. For example, allowing parole officers and other CSOSA employees to rely on incentives and not only sanctions is an evidence-based method to encourage lasting compliance and law-abiding behavior. I am grateful to Senator Johnson for his strong leadership in seeing this important bill through to the end and signed into law. I look forward to working with him again on other legislation make improvements to the District.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-says-white-house-peace-vigil-activist-s-legacy-should-inspire-dc,Norton Says White House Peace Vigil Activists Legacy Should Inspire D.C.s Fight for Statehood,2016-01-26,2016,2016-01,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today said she was deeply saddened at the passing of Concepcion Picciotto, who maintained a peace vigil outside the White House for more than 30 years. Norton, herself a veteran of civil rights activism, had seen Picciotto as the living symbol for staying with a principled cause, such as nuclear non-proliferation and peace, until it is achieved, even when others grow tired.
At a time when people ask me whether I think we will ever achieve statehood, I think of extraordinary activists like Picciotto, who recognized that there is no progress without activism, Norton said. In fact, during Picciottos more than 30 years of vigilance for nuclear proliferation and peace, many of her goals were achieved. For example, the Iran agreement, which takes that country out of the nuclear orbit, shows why such activism is most worthy. Moreover, during her three decades of protests, we have seen a measured reduction in the proliferation of nuclear weapons. With Picciottos activism multiplied many times over, we can even achieve our own goal to make the District of Columbia the 51st state.
Last year, Norton introduced her nuclear disarmament bill to require the U.S. to negotiate an international agreement to disable and dismantle its nuclear weapons by 2020 and to redirect the funds to human and infrastructure needs, such as housing, health care, Social Security and the environment.
In 2013, Nortons office called the U.S. Park Police after learning that Picciottos peace vigil was removed from its location in front of the White House overnight. Following the call from Nortons office, the Park Police agreed to the return of the vigil, and Picciotto was informed where it had been taken and how to get access to get it, and supporters took her to retrieve her belongings. The vigil was removed under Park Service rules when left unattended by an activist who was to remain with the vigil for Picciotto.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-to-speak-on-conference-call-with-groups-opposing-privatization-of,"Norton to Speak on Conference Call with Groups Opposing Privatization of the Air Traffic Control System, Today",2016-01-26,2016,2016-01,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a member of the House Aviation Subcommittee, will join advocates, who are presenting 115,000 signed petitions to Congress, on a conference call opposing privatization of the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system in the next reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today, Tuesday, January 26, 2016, at 12:30 p.m. Advocate groups on the conference call will discuss plans to travel to Capitol Hill to deliver a petition to Congress from 115,000 Americans who oppose the privatization of the ATC.
An FAA reauthorization bill that includes severing and privatizing Air Traffic Control has not emerged, but, as petitions submitted today from the public demonstrate, the long suspense has understandably fed fears for public safety, loss and downgrading of middle class jobs, and increased costs passed on to passengersunacceptable tradeoffs, Norton said. As a Member who once practiced constitutional law, I seriously question whether Congress can constitutionally delegate air traffic control to a private, even non-profit, entity. Yet, there is considerable frustration about the dysfunction of the current FAA, which has been repeatedly victimized by the chronic delays and cuts in the appropriations process even before the dangerous sequester cuts. We are long past due for serious discussions between Democrats and Republicans that could produce a bill that would pass both the House and Senate.
				WHO
			
			
				Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)
				Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD)
				Chris Bowers, Executive Campaign Director, Daily Kos
				Andrea Miller, Co-Executive Director and IT Director, People Demanding Action
				Susan Harley, Deputy Director, Public Citizens Congress Watch division
				Olivia Alperstein, Communications and Policy Associate, Progressive Congress
			
		
				WHAT
			
			
				Conference call opposing ATC privatization
			
		
				WHERE
			
			
				Conference Call Dial-In Number: 1-(888)-632-3382
				Conference ID: AAATP
			
		
				WHEN
			
			
				Today
				January 26, 2016
				12:30 p.m.
				Conference line opens at 12:15 p.m.
			
		
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-says-deployment-of-dc-national-guard-during-snowstorm-highlights,Norton Says Deployment of D.C. National Guard During Snowstorm Highlights Need for Her Bill Allowing D.C. Mayor to Deploy Guard Units,2016-01-25,2016,2016-01,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today thanked the District of Columbia National Guard for providing critical assistance to D.C. authorities during this weekends snowstorm, but said that it is absurd that the District does not have home-rule authority over its own National Guard in cases of emergency, as states do. Norton earlier succeeded in getting authority for the Commanding General of the D.C. National Guard, rather than only the President, to deploy the Guard in order to avoid the federal bureaucracy necessary to call up the D.C. National Guard. However, Norton said this historic snowstorm points up to the need for her bill that would cut through unnecessary bureaucratic layers and allow the mayor to deploy the D.C. National Guard during local emergencies, including natural disasters and civil disturbances unrelated to national or homeland security, after consultation with the Commanding General of the D.C. National Guard. Currently, the President can deploy the D.C. National Guard for national purposes, for which Norton has no objection. Norton said her prior bill to bring local deployment down to the Guards commanding general was a necessary improvement.
We are almost there, but only D.C.s mayor has the expertise to know where the guard is needed most in the city and my bill for the executive to consult with the commanding general is what governors do before deployment anyway, Norton. D.C.s mayor needs the authority to quickly deploy National Guard units during emergencies, and our bill cuts out unnecessary bureaucratic permission that could cause delays when timing is everything. What is at stake is not only a home-rule right, but one that has become essential for public safety given the increasing frequency of serious natural disasters.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/as-dc-braces-for-snow-storm-jonas-norton-reminds-families-that-capitol,"As D.C. Braces for Snow Storm Jonas, Norton Reminds Families that Capitol Hill is Open for Sledding",2016-01-21,2016,2016-01,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.The office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today said that she expects that District of Columbia families will take advantage of potentially record-setting snowfall tomorrow and Saturday by grabbing their sleds and heading to Capitol Hill, which is now open for sledding thanks to language Norton got in the fiscal year 2016 omnibus bill.
Capitol Hill is this citys iconic snow sledding hill, and Congress got out of the way, allowing our kids to freely enjoy what promises to be one of the best snowfalls in years, Norton said. Last year, when D.C. families came together with strong community support for non-enforcement of the antiquated sledding ban on Capitol Grounds, they empowered our efforts in the Congress. All families need to worry about now is picking the best time to go sledding.
Norton said she knows her constituents will take necessary precautions this weekend given the possible blizzard-like conditions on Saturday, but hopes there will be plenty of opportunities to make the trip to Capitol Hill.
Nortons provision calls for non-enforcement of a 19th century law that prohibits sledding on Capitol Grounds. The provision, included in the omnibus report language, states: Given the family-style neighborhood that the Capitol shares with the surrounding community the Committee would instruct the Capitol Police to forebear enforcement of 2 U.S.C. 1963 (An act to protect the public property, turf, and grass of the Capitol Grounds from injury) and the Traffic Regulations for the United States Capitol Grounds when encountering snow sledders on the grounds. This was the fastest way to allow sledding in lieu of Nortons bill to overturn the ban, which would require the arduous process of getting a bill through the House and Senate. Norton said she appreciated the language of the provision, which recognizes the Capitols relationship to its community, and the help she got from her good friend, Representative Sam Farr (D-CA), who serves on the House Appropriations Committee.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-blasts-cruz-for-launching-extreme-assault-on-dc-s-liberty-and,Norton Blasts Cruz for Launching Extreme Assault on D.C.s Liberty and Local Government,2016-01-21,2016,2016-01,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today blasted Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) for introducing an unprecedented attack on District of Columbia home rule by introducing a bill to radically alter D.C.s local education system. Norton said Cruzs bill is private school vouchers on steroids, forcing D.C. to direct its local funds away from D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) and public charter schools toward vouchers for any student who chooses to attend private schools. Norton said this bill is an even greater slap in D.C.s face than the existing private school voucher program, which uses only federal funds. Norton said this is the third time Cruz has introduced anti-home-rule bills this Congress. Shortly before announcing his presidential bid, Cruz introduced bills to overturn two D.C. anti-discrimination laws. Last year, the House and Senate rejected all amendments to establish national voucher programs as part of the bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Senator Cruzs bill is one of the most radical and blatant attacks on D.C. home rule and local control that we have witnessed, showing how easily his ambitions for the presidency allow him to dump his self-proclaimed principles of local control over local affairs, Norton said. Who is Ted Cruz to tell the D.C. government how to spend their own taxpayer funds on education, a great priority in this city? It is one thing for the federal government to meddle with D.C.s local affairs and set up a private school voucher program with federal funds; it is quite another to force a local jurisdiction to use its own finite funds to pay for an unaccountable voucher program, taking away funding from our traditional public schools and public charter schools. Unless there are a lot of Republicans who are anxious to nurture Cruzs presidential ambitions, I believe I will have allies as I go all out to defeat Cruzs latest anti-local government bill and see that it goes nowhere.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-releases-december-hiring-and-small-business-data-for-dc-residents,Norton Releases December Hiring and Small Business Data for D.C. Residents on Federal Construction Projects in D.C.,2016-01-21,2016,2016-01,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"Norton to Host Roundtable on Employment Opportunities at Federal Construction Projects in D.C., This Spring 
WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today announced the newest statistics from mid-December showing the number of District of Columbia residents employed and D.C. small businesses contracted at federal construction projects in the city that were achieved through Nortons legislative work. The projects showing the highest percentages of D.C. residents employed are, in order from largest to smallest, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History (Clark Construction, 13%), Lafayette Building Modernization (Grunley Construction, 12.8%), the Old Post Office Building (Trump Construction, 12.6%), the Harry S. Truman Modernization (Clark Construction, 10%), and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) construction project at St. Elizabeths in Ward 8 (Grunley Construction, 3.9%; General Dynamics, 3.9%). Norton is also tracking the number of D.C. small businesses awarded contracts at all federal construction sites in the District. At this time, only Trump Construction at the Old Post Office Building and Grunley construction and General Dynamics at St. Elizabeths have subcontracts, which can be awarded to D.C. small businesses. At the Old Post Office building, 10 percent of small business contracts have been awarded to D.C. small businesses. At St. Elizabeths, only two of the 15 small businesses that Grunley has subcontracted to perform work are D.C. small businesses, and only two of the 20 small businesses General Dynamics has subcontracted to perform work have been D.C. small businesses, though no small businesses are currently performing work for General Dynamics.
Since Nortons November employment report, the number of D.C. residents employed and the percentage of work performed by D.C. residents have increased at the DHS construction project at St. Elizabeths, but not very significantly. Norton said these numbers were still far too low and that she will be looking for significant improvement as construction at the DHS headquarters picks up throughout this year, especially during the summer months, considering that she secured the full $556.7 million funding request for DHS consolidation in this years appropriations bill. Moreover, the fiscal year 2016 appropriation provides design funding for a new Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) building on the St. Elizabeths West Campus and completion of the Center Building for the DHS Secretary and his 900 staff and its surrounding buildings. In addition, once work begins on the new access road to support federal employee traffic into St. Elizabeths, which was funded by the fiscal year 2015 appropriations bill, Norton expects to see significant increases in D.C. residents hired for construction jobs. D.C. residents often work on road construction and drywalling, which are only two of the kinds of jobs that will be available at these projects. Norton said she also expects D.C. employment rates to improve also because the Center Building just came out of the design phase and is about to enter the main construction and renovation phases, which will require positions for which many D.C. construction workers are well-suited. The Congresswoman said there is no reason why Grunley and General Dynamics should not equal the statistics now being achieved by the other federal project contractors, none of which have less than 10 percent, the regional representation of D.C. residents.
Norton makes public the number of D.C. residents hired and D.C. small business contracted on federal projects in the District every month and must receive information from contractors by the 15th of each month. Anyone, regardless of residency, can work on a federally financed project, and federal law prohibits local jurisdictions from using specific quotas for the hiring of local residents. However, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) always conducts aggressive employment outreach for construction projects in D.C. and other local communities, as Norton is doing.
Prior to the start of heavy construction, Norton met with federal contractors to discuss hiring D.C. residents, to determine the job skills that would lend themselves best to D.C. residents, and to identify projects that would be well-suited for D.C. small businesses. As she has done in the past, Norton also makes unannounced visits to federal construction sites and holds roundtables to report progress.
The Congresswoman is planning a roundtable this spring to highlight the records of federal contracts on D.C. construction sites and upcoming job and small business opportunities at federal sites in the District and to address any challenges confronting D.C. employers or residents who want work at these federal sites. Contractors, employees and small businesses will be invited to testify.
GSA continues to staff an Opportunities Center at St. Elizabeths (2701 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. SE, St. Elizabeths West Campus), which is open weekdays, 8:00 a.m.  4:00 p.m., and provides assistance on all federal projects to prospective employees and helps small businesses with hiring and contracting processes at St. Elizabeths and other GSA sites. The center also offers resume writing workshops, job postings, 8(a) small business training, and community outreach.
Below is the hiring breakdown by company and total hiring at federal construction sites through November 2015. December 2015 hiring numbers will be available for release by February 15, 2016.
Ward 8 Department of Homeland Security Headquarters Project on the St. Elizabeths Campus
				Contractor
			
			
				Project
			
			
				Total D.C. Residents Employed and percentage of total as of December 2015
			
		
				Grunley Construction
			
			
				Design/Build of the Historic Center Building
			
			
				7 of 179 (3.9%)
			
		
				General Dynamics
			
			
				DHS Technology Integration Program (TIP)
			
			
				3 of 76 (3.9%)
			
		
				CW Resources
			
			
				Custodial and Related Services
			
			
				65*
			
		
				CW Resources
			
			
				Building Operations and Maintenance Services
			
			
				1*
			
		* No total number of employees reported
Old Post Office Building
				Contractor
			
			
				Total D.C. Residents Employed as percentage of total as of November 2015
			
		
				Trump Construction
			
			
				60,761 man hours of 483,467 man hours (12.6% of total)
			
		Other Large D.C. Federal Projects
				Contractor
			
			
				Project
			
			
				Total D.C. Residents Employed as percentage of total as of November 2015
			
		
				Clark Construction
			
			
				Smithsonian National Museum of African American History
			
			
				363 of 2833 (13%)
			
		
				Grunley Construction
			
			
				Lafayette Building Modernization
			
			
				80 of 630 (12.8%)
			
		
				Clark Construction
			
			
				Harry S. Truman Modernization
			
			
				52 of 520 (10%)
			
		
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-grateful-to-joslyn-williams-for-34-years-of-exceptional-service,"Norton Grateful to Joslyn Williams for 34 Years of Exceptional Service as President of Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO",2016-01-19,2016,2016-01,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today said that the announcement that Joslyn (Josh) Williams will retire in February after serving for 34 years as president of the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO, was for her a twin loss  of a man who built the local and regional labor movement into one of the most effective and influential in the nation, and of a personal friend, who has been a close partner since Norton came to Congress 25 years ago. The Metropolitan Washington Council is composed of 180 local unions representing 150,000 union members in D.C. and Maryland.
Josh Williams represents everything we admire about the American story, Norton said. He emigrated to the U.S. from Jamaica at 16, earned his college degree at Howard University, became a federal employee and emerged as a talented leader of his local union, the American Federation of Government Employees, and became the first African American president of the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO, in 1982. Joshs intelligence, energy, charisma, organizational skills, and strategic acumen combine all the essential elements of leadership. He has had an exceptional ability to work effectively with people of all backgrounds, including labor leaders, elected officials, and executives. Because Josh is one of the most respected leaders in our city, I asked him last summer to serve on my Federal Law Enforcement Nominating Commission, which screens and recommends candidates for important federal law enforcement positions in the District. Knowing Josh, we should expect that he will redefine what retirement means and continue to offer his multitude of gifts to our city and region.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-to-introduce-bill-to-increase-financial-disclosure-requirements,Norton to Introduce Bill to Increase Financial Disclosure Requirements for D.C. Court Judges,2016-01-19,2016,2016-01,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.When the House returns to session next week, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will introduce a bill to increase the transparency of the District of Columbia Courts, which in 2014 were given a failing grade by a Center for Public Integrity survey based on the courts judicial financial disclosure rules. Nortons bill would increase transparency by enhancing financial disclosure requirements for D.C. court judges, making them similar to the disclosure requirements already set for federal judges. D.C. Superior Court and D.C. Court of Appeals judges are Article I judges, not Article III judges, who preside in federal district courts and federal courts of appeal.
In her introductory statement, Norton said, Although current federal law does require D.C. Superior Court and D.C. Court of Appeals judges to file annual financial reports, much of the information included in those reports remains confidential. For example, while judges are required to submit information about their income, investments, liabilities, and gifts, current law only makes public judges connections to charities, private organizations, and businesses, and honorariums that are more than $300. My bill would bring some much-needed transparency to the D.C. Courts by making all of this informationexcept for a judges personally identifiable informationavailable for public inspection.
Nortons full introductory statement is below.
Statement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Introduction of the District of Columbia Judicial Financial Transparency Act of 2016
 Today, I introduce the District of Columbia Judicial Financial Transparency Act of 2016, a bill that would enhance financial disclosure requirements for D.C. Court judges, making them similar to the disclosure requirements already in place for Article III federal judges. Although current federal law does require D.C. Superior Court and D.C. Court of Appeals judges to file annual financial reports, much of the information included in those reports remains confidential. For example, while judges are required to submit information about their income, investments, liabilities, and gifts, current law only makes public judges connections to charities, private organizations, and businesses, and honorariums that are more than $300. My bill would bring some much-needed transparency to the D.C. Courts by making all of this informationexcept for a judges personally identifiable informationavailable for public inspection.
 This legislation is particularly necessary because open government advocates have found the D.C. Courts to be seriously lacking in transparency. In fact, a 2014 survey by the Center for Public Integrity that took a comprehensive look at each states judicial financial disclosure rules, gave the District a failing grade. D.C. Court judges already submit enough financial information to improve the Districts standingmy bill would make it public.
 Only Congress can make these necessary changes. I urge my colleagues to support this good government bill, to improve transparency for judges in the District of Columbia.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-to-serve-as-guest-preacher-at-national-cathedral-service-honoring,"Norton to Serve as Guest Preacher at National Cathedral Service Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Sunday",2016-01-15,2016,2016-01,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will serve as a guest preacher for a service honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Sunday, January 17, 2016, at 11:15 a.m., at Washington National Cathedral (3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW). Norton, an Episcopalian who was christened at St. Georges Episcopal Church shortly after she was born in the District, was a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) during the height of the Civil Rights Movement and, as a student, worked with Bayard Rustin on the staff of the 1963 March on Washington.
Each January when we come together to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., his great issuesnon-violence, poverty amidst plenty, the universality of equal rightscontinue with the currency of today, Norton said. I am honored by the invitation of the Washington National Cathedral to serve as guest preacher for Sundays service. The service provides an opportunity to reflect on how Dr. Kings prophetic life continues to resonate in the great issues of our time.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-to-speak-at-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-day-events-this-weekend,"Norton to Speak at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Events, This Weekend",2016-01-15,2016,2016-01,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at three events this weekend.
Norton will offer remarks at the 32nd Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Breakfast, hosted by United People with Opportunities (UPO), tomorrow, Saturday, January 16, 2015, 8:00  10:00 a.m., at the Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel (1000 H St. NW). The MLK Memorial Breakfast raises funds to provide college scholarships for deserving, financially challenged Washington, D.C. high school graduates.
Norton will serve as a guest preacher for a service honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Sunday, January 17, 2016, at 11:15 a.m., at Washington National Cathedral (3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW).
Norton will rally with local airline contract workers whose work has been downgraded to poverty wages and unworthy working conditions on Monday, January 18, 2015, at noon, at the FDR Loop beside the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial (1850 West Basin Drive).
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-to-speak-at-memorial-service-for-former-eeoc-chair-jacqueline,"Norton to Speak at Memorial Service for Former EEOC Chair Jacqueline Berrien, Today",2016-01-13,2016,2016-01,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), the first woman to chair the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), will offer remarks at a memorial service for former EEOC Chair Jacqueline Berrien today, Wednesday, January 13, 2016, at 2:00 p.m., at the EEOC Headquarters (131 M St. NE). Ms. Berriens husband, Peter Williams, among others, will also offer remarks. Ms. Berrien passed away at the age of 53 in November 2015. Berrien, like Norton, was a native Washingtonian, and was President Obamas first appointment as chair of the EEOC, serving from 2010-2014.
As a former EEOC Chair serving in Congress, I was able to forge a special working relationship with Jacqueline Berrien, whose vision and dedication helped bring the EEOC into the 21st century, Norton said. She was tragically taken from us far too soon, and she is missed by her family, friends, coworkers, the many Americans who benefited from her accomplished life, and me.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-gets-house-passage-of-two-bills-affecting-dc,Norton Gets House Passage of Two Bills Affecting D.C.,2016-01-11,2016,2016-01,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.The office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced that the House of Representatives today passed two bills impacting the District of Columbia. The first bill will modernize and improve the daily operations of the District of Columbia Courts, the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDS) and the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia (CSOSA). Norton expressed her thanks to House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Ranking Member Elijah Cummings (D-MD), who helped bring the bill to the House floor, and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Ranking Member Tom Carper (D-DE), who got the bill passed in the Senate last September. The 1997 Revitalization Act transferred the costs and operations of some state functions, including these three agencies, to the federal government. Norton introduced the same version of the bill in 2014, which the House passed by voice vote. Among other technical, but important, changes, the bill would authorize CSOSA to use incentives-based programs for offenders, instead of only sanctions to get compliance; allow PDS to accept and use public grants, voluntary and uncompensated services, such as unpaid law clerks and interns and private contributions made to advance PDSs work; and allow the courts to collect debts owed to it by its employees.
We are grateful to get this important bill to improve the District of Columbias justice system through the Congress and on the way to the Presidents desk, Norton said. This bill is an example of how we continue to work with our colleagues in the House and Senate to make improvements for the District  no matter which party controls Congress.
The second bill, the Presidential Allowance Modernization Act, updates the Former Presidents Act of 1958, which governs annual pension payments and allowances for former U.S. Presidents and surviving spouses. Norton got a home-rule victory in her committees markup of the bill, which had treated the D.C. government as a part of the federal government, as it was in 1958 when the bill was first passed. Nortons change resulted in the bill recognizing the District as an independent jurisdiction with a locally elected government, which was established by the Home Rule Act of 1973.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-to-bring-as-her-guest-to-state-of-the-union-father-of-local-dc,"Norton to Bring as Her Guest to State of the Union Father of Local D.C. Journalist, Charnice Milton, Who Was Shot and Killed Last Year",2016-01-11,2016,2016-01,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.The office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today announced that she will bring Kenneth McClenton, the father of Charnice Milton, a District of Columbia journalist who was shot and killed while returning home from an assignment in May, 2015, as her guest to the State of the Union tomorrow evening. Ms. Milton, who was 27 years old, worked for Capital Community News and had written for the Hill Rag.
Each Member of the House has only one ticket to the Presidents State of the Union, Norton said. With the spike in gun violence in D.C., I could not be more pleased to join with a number of us in the House who are inviting relatives of victims of gun violence to raise this safety issue to a higher level of concern. I appreciate that my constituent, Kenneth McClenton has agreed to be my guest. Mr. McClenton and Charnices mother, Francine, understand better than most why more gun safety legislation is necessary today. Too many D.C. residents and other Americans across the country have experienced the overwhelming pain of losing a loved one to gun violence. I am welcoming Mr. McClenton to the State of the Union to honor the memory of his daughter and other families. We have not forgotten Charnice, lost to us in the prime of a life full of accomplishments, even at 27. Her father is an excellent representative of the many families who have experienced such irreplaceable loss.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-blasts-representative-schweikert-latest-republican-to-launch,"Norton Blasts Representative Schweikert, Latest Republican to Launch Attack on D.C. Gun Safety Laws",2016-01-08,2016,2016-01,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.After successfully pushing back four attempts to overturn the District of Columbias gun safety laws last year, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said the most recent Republican to take on D.C.s gun laws must not have gotten the memo. Representative David Schweikert (R-AZ) yesterday introduced a bill to force D.C. to recognize out-of-state permits to carry concealed guns, regardless of the standards those states use for issuing permits. The District currently requires a carry permit applicant to demonstrate a good reason for carrying. Norton said most challenges to carrying requirements similar to D.C.s have been upheld by federal appeals courts, and that Schweikerts bill is a political stunt meant to appeal to the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the pro-gun lobby.
Schweikerts bill is the latest Republican effort in the 114th Congress to overturn D.C.s gun laws. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH) introduced a bill that would wipe out almost all of the D.C.s local gun safety laws, including its ban on assault weapons and large capacity magazines and its registration requirements, and prohibit D.C. from passing gun laws in the future. Norton said Rubios motive for introducing his bill was undisguised. The NRA raised his rating from a B-plus to an A almost immediately after he introduced his anti-local-control gun bill. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced an amendment to eliminate D.C.s gun laws to the Senates budget reconciliation bill, which failed, and then introduced it as a standalone bill, which has not been brought to the Senate floor.
While the nation seeks to come together to find common-sense steps to reduce gun violence, Rep. David Schweikert has reached beyond his own district to meddle in mine, Norton said. Allowing more concealed guns on the streets of the nations capital, which is frequented not only by our residents, but also by high-level federal officials and foreign dignitaries, would be insane. Under constitutional principles of local control in our country, each district must decide local matters for themselves, not federal officials. I do not think Rep. Schweikerts constituents sent him to Washington to interfere with the local prerogatives of someone elses district, and I doubt that this bill is a priority for his constituents. Maintaining our local carry permit law is a priority for me, and I am prepared to defeat this anti-home-rule bill and protect D.C.s narrowly tailored carry law in order to keep our residents safe.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-defazio-urge-dot-to-let-states-experiment-with-alternative,"Norton, Defazio Urge DOT to Let States Experiment with Alternative Funding Mechanisms for Highway Trust Fund",2016-01-07,2016,2016-01,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C.  Today, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Ranking Member of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) urged U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Anthony Foxx to quickly make grant funds available to states so they can experiment with alternate ways to finance the Highway Trust Fund in a manner that will provide long-term certainty to state and local governments.
In December 2015, Congress passed the FAST Act, a five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill. While the bill was fully paid for, it did not resolve long-term solvency challenges of the Highway Trust Fund. To help address this problem, the FAST Act establishes the Surface Transportation System Funding Alternatives program, which provides up to $95 million to enable States to test and demonstrate innovative methods to fund needed infrastructure improvements. These tests will be critical to identifying a sustainable, long-term revenue stream for surface transportation investment.
DeFazio and Norton write, To ensure that we are not in the same position four years from now, we must immediately begin to identify real, workable funding solutions to carry our surface transportation programs through the 21st century. A safe, efficient surface transportation network is fundamentally necessary to our quality of life and our economy. But we cannot fund this network relying on current Highway Trust Fund revenues, the letter continues.
The letter goes on to urge DOT to make implementation of this critical grant program a priority so states have as much time as possible to test new funding alternatives.
The full text of the letter is below.
January 7, 2016
The Honorable Anthony Foxx  
	Secretary  
	U.S. Department of Transportation  
	1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.  
	Washington, DC 20590
Dear Secretary Foxx:
The enactment of the Fixing Americas Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) (P.L. 114-94) provides desperately needed long-term certainty for States and local governments to plan and implement transportation projects. Thank you for all of your support during the development of this bill and throughout congressional consideration.
As you know, the FAST Actis a five-year, fully paid-for surface transportation reauthorization act that provides reliable funding for transportation infrastructure investment and avoids more short-term patches. However, as the President indicated upon signing the bill, we still have work to do.
The FAST Act is a great achievement, but it does not resolve the long-term solvency challenges of the Highway Trust Fund. To ensure that we are not in the same position four years from now, we must immediately begin to identify real, workable funding solutions to carry our surface transportation programs through the 21st century.
To help address this pressing challenge, the FAST Act establishes the Surface Transportation System Funding Alternatives program. P.L. 114-94, Division A, Section 6020. This program provides grants to States to demonstrate user-based alternative revenue mechanisms that utilize a user fee structure to maintain the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund. We believe States are the laboratories of democracy, and the FAST Act provides the necessary funding to incentivize States to explore novel user fee structures that provide sustainable transportation funding.
We urge you to make this critical grant program a priority as the Department implements the FAST Act, to ensure States have as much time as possible to test various funding alternatives. A safe, efficient surface transportation network is fundamentally necessary to our quality of life and our economy. But we cannot fund this network relying on current Highway Trust Fund revenues.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
PETER DeFAZIO ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON
Ranking Member                     Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Highways and Transit",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-says-republican-fake-attempts-to-defund-obamacare-and-planned,Norton Says Republican Fake Attempts to Defund Obamacare and Planned Parenthood Continue Years of Targeting Health Care for Low-Income Americans,2016-01-07,2016,2016-01,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.In remarks prepared for the House floor, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) yesterday blasted House Republicans for beginning 2016 with the old, discredited business of voting to overturn the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for the 62nd time and defunding Planned Parenthood as their first major legislative action of the new year. Norton said that the ACA and Planned Parenthood are already paid for, leaving todays action grounded only in spiteful politics against low-income Americans. She said that rejecting funds his taxpayers had already paid for had led newly-elected Republican Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin to backtrack on his campaign promise to repeal Obamacares Medicaid expansion for half a million low-income Kentuckians who would have lost their health care. Defunding Planned Parenthood, Norton said, would have a similar impact on underserved Americans, 60% of whom are Medicaid patients who depend on Planned Parenthood for their reproductive health services.
Nortons full statement follows.

REMARKS OF HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON
OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ON H.R. 3762, THE RESTORING AMERICANS HEALTHCARE FREEDOM RECONCILIATION ACT OF 2015,
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2015
Obamacare and Planned Parenthood are Already Paid for Dont Defund the Poor
Ms. Norton. Mr. Speaker,
    Its ironic that during our first sessions of the new year today, the House gets down to business with fake businessdefunding Planned Parenthood and the 62nd vote to repeal Obamacare. Never mind the inevitable veto by a Democratic Presidentthe Republican Governor of Kentucky, Matt Bevin has already vetoed his own campaign promise to repeal the Medicaid expansion. A Washington Post editorial commended Bevin for good sense. Its also sound policy and good politics to claim federal funds that your constituents have paid for to improve the health care of half a million low-income Kentuckians.
   Defunding Planned Parenthood, or federally funded health care for the 60 percent of their Medicaid patients who depend on Planned Parenthood, would have the same effect as defunding the Medicaid expansion in Kentucky. Both would take away from the neediest living in underserved communities for spiteful political reasons.
   Republicans began 2016 with more of the same, by targeting medical care for the poor. Americans deserve better than the same old foolishness in the new year.
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http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-bill-to-give-dc-the-same-power-as-states-to-grant-clemency-home,Norton Bill to Give D.C. the Same Power as States to Grant Clemency  Home-Rule Power on the Way to Statehood,2016-01-05,2016,2016-01,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced a bill that would give the District of Columbia exclusive authority, like states, to grant clemency for criminal convictions under its laws. While D.C. law appears to give the mayor authority to grant clemency (D.C. Code 1301.76), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has opined that the mayors clemency authority, if any, is very narrow, and that the President of the United States has authority to grant clemency in all D.C. criminal cases and exclusive authority for D.C. felonies. Under current practice, clemency petitions for D.C. convictions, like federal convictions, are submitted to DOJ for the Presidents consideration. In Nortons bill, clemency includes pardons, reprieves, or commutations of sentence.
It is not necessary to take a position on whether DOJs interpretation of the mayors clemency authority is correct, Norton said. All that needs to be said is that the District, like states, should have full control of its local criminal justice system, the most basic responsibility of local government, including clemency, following a conviction in local courts under local law. A conviction for which clemency would be granted is local D.C. law, enacted by the D.C. Council, not federal law. The only federal links remaining to the Districts local law are prosecutions by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia in Superior Court, an Article I court, whose judges are confirmed by the Senate after the President nominates a candidate based on recommendations from a local commission. Yet, for local crimes, these appointees enforce only local law. Presidential clemency authority over local residents convicted only of local crimes is a holdover from before the District was granted home rule. This bill, like my bill to give the District the authority to prosecute all local crimes, is an important home-rule advancement. It is clear that the District Clause of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress authority to vest exclusive clemency authority in the D.C. government.
Nortons bill vests all clemency authority not currently reserved to the Mayor under D.C. Code 1301.76 to the District government and gives D.C. the discretion to establish its own clemency system. Like states, the city could give clemency authority to the chief executive (in this case, the mayor), a commission or some other entity.
Under federal law, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia prosecutes all D.C. Code felonies and the Federal Bureau of Prisons houses all D.C. Code felons.
Nortons full introductory statement is below.
Statement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Introduction of the District of Columbia Home Rule Clemency Act of 2016
January 5, 2016
Today, I introduce the District of Columbia Home Rule Clemency Act of 2016, a bill that would give the District of Columbia exclusive authority, like states, to grant clemency to offenders prosecuted under its local laws.
While D.C. law appears to give the mayor authority to grant clemency (D.C. Code 1301.76), it is currently the opinion of the Department of Justice that the president, and not the mayor, has the authority to issue clemency for most local offenses prosecuted under D.C. law, particularly felonies prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney in the D.C. Superior Court. Under current practice, clemency petitions for D.C. convictions, like federal convictions, are submitted to the DOJ for the presidents consideration.
Whether or not the DOJs view is correct, my bill would remove all doubt that the District, and not the president, has the authority to issue executive clemency. The District, like states, should have full control of its local criminal justice system, the most basic responsibility of local government. Since the D.C. Council has the authority to enact local laws, District officials are in the best position to grant clemency for local law convictions. My bill would provide all clemency authority not currently reserved to the Mayor under D.C. Code 1301.76 to the District government and would give D.C. the discretion to establish its own clemency system.
This bill is an important step in establishing further autonomy for the District in its own local affairs. I urge my colleagues to support this measure.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-says-president-obama-s-executive-actions-will-help-cities-like-dc,Norton Says President Obamas Executive Actions Will Help Cities like D.C. and Localities Across the U.S. Reduce Gun Violence,2016-01-05,2016,2016-01,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today issued the following statement in response to President Obamas executive actions to reduce gun violence.
The Presidents tightly-tailored executive actions will help thousands of public officials who find their local efforts to control gun violence eclipsed by people in the business of selling guns in nearby states. For all of its work for gun safety, District of Columbia law enforcement officials are often swamped by guns sold at gun shows by private sellers, who are not required to conduct background checks. The carnage in our city comes from criminals who have been able to use these loopholes to get their hands on firearms in nearby jurisdictions. Big cities such as D.C. and Chicago, which are islands surrounded by jurisdictions with weaker gun safety laws, will get significant assistance from the Presidents bold steps, which are enough to begin the journey to reduce gun violence in our country.
###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://norton.house.gov/media-center/blog-posts/watching-coalition-successes-against-isil-for-alerts-to-the-public-here,Watching Coalition Successes Against ISIL for Alerts to the Public Here,2016-01-04,2016,2016-01,Democrat,House,DC,Eleanor Norton,N000147,norton.house.gov,,,legacy,"By Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)
Is there a connection between the Paris and San Bernardino attacks on the one hand, and the increasing success of the US-Coalition strategy in the Middle East on the other? The attacks in the West occurred as the Coalition was beginning to make in-roads that culminated against the Islamic Statewith the raising of the Iraqi flag again in Ramadi. If ISILs point was to draw attention away from setbacks that began last fall, it succeeded. The Coalitions victories were all but eclipsed by the worldwide coverage of Paris and San Bernardino. Now, Shiite militias have also recaptured the Baiji oil refinery near Baghdad and the Kurds have retaken Sinjar, a town that had been a key link for supplies to Raqqa, Syria, ISILs capital, and Mosul, Iraq, its largest population center.
There is no evidence that the Paris and San Bernardino attacks were plotted but held until they could be maximized, or whether they were spontaneous and would have occurred without being energized by ISILs losses. The San Bernardino couple went to extraordinary lengths to destroy their computers and cellphones. We have no intelligence on the ground and know so little of ISIL, however, that we cannot afford to ignore inferences.
Today, we have no reliable clues that can enable alerts about credible threats. Or do we? In the absence of evidence, we cannot afford to ignore the hypothesis that Coalition successes, which we must continue to seek, can trigger or signal their opposite  attacks on Western targets. If so, we may have our first clues about when to warn the public to be extra alert and careful.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z